Storybook Symphony
by Silver Simplicity
Summary: L is a famous author living at a university that Light just happens to attend. When L saves Light from a hoard of girls and wants something in return, what will happen between them?
1. First Encounter

Ok, this will be both my first fanfiction with this account, and my first DN fanfic. This takes place somewhere in New York, at a university. So, with the help of my co-writer (who is of the avian persuasion) I hope to write a good story. Ok, enough rambling! On with the fic!

* * *

L's curiously dark eyes squinted, trying to get used to the darkness of the campus's library after the glaring sun outside. The building was sprawling. It had tall, arched ceilings, a second floor, and little balconies you could get to to read in if you wanted. It seemed to go on forever, filled with twisting hallways and corridors filled to the brim with books. L loved this place. It was the whole reason he had revealed his identity to the dean to be allowed to live at the university. This place was his sanctuary and his workplace, all in one.

The only drawback was the fact that he had to deal with the students. He didn't interact well with people. It wasn't his strong point. He carefully navigated around the students, trying not to make any gestures which might get them to approach him. Not usually a problem. His eclectic and eccentric appearance repelled people nicely.

He made his way to the balcony that was his. He had laid a claim on this spot. It was nicely out of the way – no one would bother him. Pulling out his laptop, he stretched his long fingers and started rapidly typing what he knew would become a bestseller.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Light sprinted into the library and paused, taken aback by the immense size of the structure, before running for the stairs and galloping up to the second floor. Behind him, a herd of girls was following him. He'd already turned them down, why couldn't they give up!? Especially that Misa. She was _insufferable_!

He spun quickly around a corner and ended up in a small balcony. He glanced around and spotted someone typing furiously on a laptop. He ducked quickly under the table and accidentally smashed into the guy's legs. He made a little noise.

"Shhh! Please!" Light begged. No response. The sound of girls in high heels clipping away reached his ears.

"Liiight!" The one named Misa whined. She and the rest turned into the balcony. "Light, where are you?" She turned to L. "Have you seen Light?" She questioned.

"Who?" His voice was smooth and believable. The girls all sighed in disappointment. They plodded away slowly.

"Why won't he just let me have his child?" "All I want is a one-night stand!" "He's soooooo mean!" The remarks kept coming. Light sighed quietly and waited a few seconds, then popped out from under the table.

He turned to thank his unlikely co-conspirator and paused. His appearance was startling. He was so thin! His black hair was wild and unruly, and his eyes were a deep onyx. He wore a simple baggy white shirt and jeans. His face was a carefully painted mask, as good as the one he himself usually wore. Interesting.

"Thanks for not saying anything....actually, what is your name?"

"You can call me Ryuuzaki. And don't thank me, because I didn't do it for free. I want something in return."

* * *

Ok, this chapter was really kinda short, but it was actually just a test to see if you think I should keep going with this. Please tell me what you think, and if I should continue. I'll probably continue at least one more chapter either way, but you should still tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is appreciated. This IS intended to become a rated M story, if I get up the nerve to write the scene. If not, it'll just drop down to T, I guess. Oh yeah, random question. What's you favorite flavor of pocky? Out of all the kinds I've tried so far, almond crush is my favorite. My avian co-writer enjoys the bit of stick at the end that is plain. No flavors for him! It would be bad bad bad for him!


	2. Match Point

**Disclaimer:** Yeah right, like I own it. Would I have killed L if I did? NOOOOO!

SSS - Perspective change

My co-writer has destroyed my glasses. While I was wearing them. And he nibbled my ear. And my neck. And now it look like I have love bites. And he's a BIRD. Not my boyfriend. Which I currently do not have. So, do to being out a pair of glasses, I have to sit VERRRY close to the screen to type and my eyes hurt. Ok, enough "Poor me." On with the fic!

* * *

"I want a tennis match, Light-kun. Please bring your favorite book with you." L wasn't sure why he was asking for a tennis match. Something about this boy piqued his interest. Perhaps it was the obvious intelligence shining from behind his mocha eyes.

"I guess I could play you in a match." Light figured he owed him that much. Besides, the guy looked so scrawny he was sure he'd win.

A small smile twitched at the corners of L's lips. "Meet me later today at the courts. At noon. And do not forget the book, Light-kun."

SSS

Light grumbled as he ripped books off his bookshelf. He couldn't believe he'd lost his favorite book! Why was it so important to Ryuuzaki that he bring it, anyway?

Making an angry sound, he gave up. He had a freaking unit exam tomorrow, and he did NOT need this added aggravation. Angrily, he collapsed on his bed. And made a pained sound accompanied by his leaping back out of the bed when something sharp dug into his hip.

Pulling back the covers, he revealed, wouldn't you know it, his favorite book. Called Poison Apple, it was by one L. Just L. The guy was a writing genius. Actually, from what was known about him, he was an overall genius. Light would have liked to have met him. Maybe L was on his level. But no one knew a thing about him. Not even what he looked like. Once in a while, a signed book would surface, with a beautiful black Gothic L inside the front cover written in sharpie, and it would sell for thousands. But that was it.

This particular book was about a boy about Light's age who finds a notebook that has the power to kill anyone. All one has to do is write the name of the person. The boy then starts killing off criminals, trying to make the world a better place. He's interceded by a detective, and, well, the book was just plain awesome. Not like it could ever happen, though.

Light glanced at the clock. Almost noon. Time to go.

SSS

L waited patiently at the courts, racket in hand. Nearby, the gaggle of girls led by Misa was checking out the boys playing tennis. That girl was so shallow. And dumb on top of that. Light was in for a surprise when he arrived.

L blinked in surprise when he he saw Light coming, book in hand. He was early. Unfortunately, the girls saw him too. They had to navigate to their court, though, so that bought them some time.

L took stock of Light quickly, and almost smiled when he saw him carrying Poison Apple, his own book. Interesting choice.

SSS

Light watched as Ryuuzaki looked him over, taking note of his favorite book. He did his own little once-over, and looked at Ryuuzaki's feet in surprise. "No shoes?"

"No. I do not like them, Light-kun." Was his prompt answer. "You are originally from Japan, yes?"

"Yes, Ryuuzaki, I am," Light replied.

"Then I think I'll call you Raito-kun."

"You speak Japanese?"

"I am fluent in many languages, Raito-kun." Light filed that away for future reference. "Now, Raito-kun may want to take note of the alarming number of girls heading toward him."

Light rapidly look up as the heard of girls again converged on him. Damn that Misa! His eye twitched.

"Liiiight, won't you please go on a date with me?" She whined. Light quickly came up with a way to avert the whole situation, as long as Ryuuzaki played along.

"Tell you what. I'll go on a date with one of you. But first, you have to beat Ryuuzaki and I at doubles." Misa's eyes lit up.

"Oh yay! I'll go grab our best player!" And she skipped away. Ryuuzaki turned to him.

"Raito-kun, I do not remember agreeing to this arrangement." Light groaned. "But I will go along with it, as long as Raito-kun agrees to do something for me if we win." Great. He was gonna owe this guy yet ANOTHER favor. But it was the only way he could get out of dating the girls, so whatever.

"Fine, Ryuuzaki, but you better be good."

Turns out Ryuuzaki WAS good. They won effortlessly, and Misa and her gaggle moped away. Ryuuzaki smirked. "Raito-kun owes me something. I'd like to go to a restaurant. I haven't been to one in a while."

Light sighed. "Whatever, Ryuuzaki, I said I'd do what you wanted. How about tomorrow at 8 pm. That gives me time to unwind after my test."

"As you wish. But something occurs to me. Raito-kun would rather go to dinner with me that go on a date with Misa."

"So?"

"There is a fifty percent chance Raito-kun is gay."

* * *

I couldn't resist the book part. Actually, to me, this chapter seemed rather blah. And rather short. I'll blame that on the fact that this story is still getting going. I hope it'll get better! Oh yeah, poofypandapuff told me to put in here that the Poison Apple bit is in NO WAY a reference to the fanfic. Just a title for the book I liked. Thanks for the tip! I don't want angry reviews! So, a random question for this chapter: What is your favorite soda? Mine's diet Coke.


	3. Black Forest Cake

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Nothing witty to put here today.

My avian co-writer decided it would be awesome to take a bath while we were writing, and then promptly hopped onto my shoulder (I've been told I look reminiscent of a pirate with him there) and got me soaking wet. I love him, but sheesh. The things I do for the love of a bird.

* * *

L winced as he gently poked at the sore spot on his jaw where Light had punched him. He didn't know what Light had gotten so worked up over – he had just been stating fact, after all. He had chosen a semi-formal restaurant for their dinner. He, of course, would still wear his white shirt and jeans. He didn't do suits.

He was perched on his chair, in his balcony, in his usual odd manner of sitting. He pulled out his laptop and again began to write. Light was talking up some of the time he usually used to write, and L needed to catch up. He was startled to find that he had added a new character to the book. It seemed like the character wanted to be male, but, because he was L and he was the one in control, he made her a girl. Intrigued by the appearance of a secondary character into his book, which under usual circumstances would have the main character as the only character of importance, he continued to write.

SSS

Light was cutting it close. His unit exam had been a killer (for regular students, not him), and he had devoted so much time to studying (unnecessarily) before the exam, he hadn't had time to set out his outfit for the dinner. Then, when he had gotten home, he had started to reread Poison Apple and had accidentally ended up reading the whole thing. He had gotten ready in a flurry of activity, quickly showering and devoting careful attention to his hair to make sure every strand was in place.

Finally, he decided his usual outfit would suffice: tan jacket, dress slacks, and red tie. L had sent him directions to the restaurant earlier, and it was within walking distance. He straightened his tie one last time and left for the dinner.

SSS

L had his laptop out on the table, rapidly typing. When it had come time to leave, he couldn't bring himself to stop chipping away at his book. The appearance of the new character was interesting. Finally finishing the chapter, he saved and booted down the laptop.

He was getting quite a few curious stares due to his state of dress, his odd sitting posture, and, well, just his appearance in general. He had already ordered his drink, a strawberry smoothie (this restaurant had THE BEST smoothies), and was now just waiting for Light to show. There was always the slight chance he wouldn't, but L doubted that. Light appeared to be a man of his word.

Plus, L was fully aware that he interested the college boy on some level. L was, very likely, the first person Light had met that was as intelligent as him. And Light, in turn, was the first person L had met who was on his level. L fully intended to make the best of finally meeting someone as intelligent as himself. Light had no say in the matter.

SSS

Light strode into the restaurant, noticing with some relief that he was indeed dressed to the correct level for the setting. The restaurant was dimly lit, with just enough light to navigate by. The booths were all arranged to allow for some privacy from prying eyes. The color scheme seemed to be red and black, which worked nicely with the decor.

Light glanced around, searching for Ryuuzaki and spotting him easily. He was the only one wearing a white shirt and jeans. Light glanced down. Yep. No shoes. He almost sighed. Almost. But he managed to hold it in and instead made his way over to the booth and sat down.

"Hello, Raito-kun," Ryuuzaki said pleasantly. He was sipping a strawberry smoothie. "The waitress will be back soon to get your order. I was going to order the black forest cake, but it seems that they don't serve it on Tuesdays." Ryuuzaki sighed in disappointment. Light shook his head. Of course this guy would want dessert for dinner. Light looked at his menu and decided on the fettuccine alfredo. It sounded delicious.

When the waitress appeared, Ryuuzaki watched, interested, as Light turned from his usual persona into a lady-killer that oozed charm. Light grinned at the waitress. You could practically see her swoon. "I'd like the fettuccine alfredo, and water to drink. My friend here would really like the black forest cake. I know it's not served today, but maybe you could make one little exception..."

"O-of course! I'll get it right away, sir!" The waitress stuttered and hurried off to the kitchen to place the order.

"Raito-kun seems to be quite good with the ladies. Why does he not have a girlfriend, or a female companion?"

Light's eyes narrowed. "How do you know I don't have a girlfriend?"

"Raito-kun does not have a girlfriend. Please do not duck the question. Why do you not have a girlfriend?"

Light sighed. "To be honest, I've never really been attracted to anyone before. I know lots of guys think Misa is hot, but I just don't see it."

"Fifty-seven percent chance Raito-kun is gay." Light sent a death glare at Ryuuzaki, who appeared unaffected.

"I swear I will hit you again, right here in this restaurant, Ryuuzaki. And I said I've never been attracted to anyone. That includes boys."

Ryuuzaki simply shrugged, and at that moment the waitress came back and placed their orders in front of them. Ryuuzaki dug into his cake with exuberance as Light thanked the waitress for getting the order on a day it wasn't served. She blushed, then hurried away.

The rest of the dinner ran smooth, with idle chitchat and the occasion verbal sparring match. Overall, Light found he enjoyed himself. When the dinner was over, they split the bill, and Ryuuzaki left a nice tip for the waitress, still happy that he got his cake.

When they got up, Light noticed Ryuuzaki had his laptop with him. When he asked about it, he got the simple reply that Ryuuzaki had been typing before dinner. Oh well. If he wanted to duck the question, he'd let him. For now. And, miracle of miracles, he managed the whole interaction without owing Ryuuzaki a single favor. As they parted ways at the university, Light wondered if this would be the end of his interaction with the eccentric man. He hoped it wouldn't be.

* * *

Soooo, it's a bit longer. I still want the chapters to get even longer, though. At least they're headed in that direction. I'll try extra hard with the next one. Tell me what you think. Is it the end of them together? Pfft. Course not. Oh, I'll warn you that there may be a chapter delay coming up. I have an AP English test on Wednesday that consists of 55 multiple choice questions and three essays packed into three hours. If I pass, I get college credit. If I fail, I wasted the entire year on the course. Let's hope I pass. Ok, so this chapter's random question: Ever been called a creeper? My best friend calls me one daily, as I like to sneak up on her at her locker. She'll turn around and I'll just be there. Actually, I do that a lot. My friends and I have a running joke going that I just appear wherever I want. Oh, and Taylor called me a creeper today. So that was twice in less than hour for me! A record!


	4. House Call

I am mad. MAD!!! This will be a rant. Feel free to skip it. Ok, so we're playing a game in gym called handball. Basically, you have two teams and the idea is to throw a kickball into the other team's goal. The goal is so big you get two goalies. I paly goalie. Well, we should have stopped playing this last week. Why? The effing stupid people are throwing the ball at the goal hard enough to break fingers. How do I know this? Patrick played goalie with me. He tried to block a ball. His finger got broken. THAT right there should have been the end of it. But NO. We had to play AGAIN today. I still play goalie. I blocked a ball. I now have a bone buise on the hand I write/type with. I am pissed off. Ok, enough. I'm done. For now. My gym teacher has not heard the last of it, though, let me tell you.

* * *

Light nearly had a heart attack when he opened his eyes and found himself staring into Ryuuzaki's endless onyx ones. "Kami!" He yelled, leaping up. "What the hell are you doing, Ryuuzaki? How did you get in here?"

Ryuuzaki was perched at the end of Light's bed, chewing gently on his thumb. "I asked the dean where your dorm was. He supplied both the information and a key. Does Raito-kun always sleep in his boxers?"

Light rapidly realized that he was in nothing but his favorite boxers, which were white with gothic black L's all over them. They hadn't been easy to find. Not many authors get their names on boxers.

Ryuuzaki's eyes were the only thing that gave away his amusement at the situation. "I rather like those boxers, Raito-kun."

Light, however, was not quite as amused. "The dean just GAVE you a key to my room? This whole place is psychotic."

"Calm down, Raito-kun. The dean is fully aware that I am usually harmless."

"Usually. Great. Ryuuzaki, get out of here."

"No. I want to talk to Raito-kun. I actually want to show him something."

"Ryuuzaki, we ate dinner last night. You never so much as breached the subject of wanting to show me something. Is it that important that you needed to be here, on my bed, staring at me, when I woke up?"

"No. I just wanted to see Raito-kun's reaction."

Light punched him. And he was surprised when Ryuuzaki kicked him back. Hard. Hard enough to send him stumbling into the wall. Strong legs. Light pulled his arm back and let another punch fly. The fight continued for 15 minutes and only ended when Ryuuzaki pinned Light down on the floor.

"I win, Raito-kun. Now please go get ready so I can show you what I wanted to." Light, grumbling, picked himself up off the floor and grudgingly obeyed, taking a quick shower and dressing hurriedly. Ryuuzaki was just lucky he didn't have classes today. Which probably meant that Ryuuzaki actually knew his schedule. Oh, joy.

SSS

L waited patiently for Light to get ready to go. He wanted to show him his house. It wasn't where he actually lived, because he lived on campus to be closer to the library, and much of it wasn't furnished, but he had felt compelled to show it to Light nevertheless.

L was extremely glad that Light wasn't aware that said compulsion has struck him in the middle of the night and that he had actually been in Light's room since three in the morning. That was something he planned to keep to himself.

SSS

Light followed Ryuuzaki to a waiting...limo? Light shrugged and lightly jumped into the vehicle, Ryuuzaki right behind him. "Where are we going, Ryuuzaki?"

"I wanted to show you my house. Currently I do not dwell there, as I live at the university, but I felt like showing it to him."

Light should have figured that the guy would stalk him in his sleep, get in a knock down drag out fight with him, and arrange a limo, all to show him his house. As the silence in the limo dragged on, Light decided to try to start a conversation. "Where'd you get the limo?"

"What does Raito-kun mean? I own the limo."

"You OWN the limo?" Ryuuzaki simply nodded. Before Light could ask any more question, Ryuuzaki spoke.

"The house is not all that far from the university. In fact, we are approaching the drive now." Light looked out the window. Ok, wow. The 'drive' was, from the looks of it, at least a mile long. It was lined by, of all things, cherry trees, which were currently in full bloom. The effect was spectacular. As Light continued to watch out the window, an immaculate green lawn flashed by the windows, and, of course, there was a lake on the property. It was picturesque, and a family of Canadian geese were skating across the surface, the goslings sandwiched safely between their parents. If this was just the property leading up to it, what would the house be like?

Light was not disappointed. It was a towering, immense building. A long balcony ran along the outside of the entire second floor. It was styled in the old Gothic fashion of years gone by. It was, in a word, breathtaking.

"Ryuuzaki...how much money do you HAVE?!"

"Enough. Would Raito-kun like to go in? I'm afraid it is mostly empty, accept for the library. The one at the university is slightly more impressive than mine, though, I'm afraid."

"Yeah, sure." Light was curious as to what the inside would be like. Getting out of the car, he waited for Ryuuzaki to take the lead and followed behind.

Inside, the building retained its Gothic style. It was really a beautiful structure. Light couldn't imagine why Ryuuzaki didn't live here instead of at the university. He followed him up the stairs to the second floor and down a winding hallway to an intricate set of double doors carved with delicate designs.

Ryuuzaki pushed them open and Light gasped. The room was immense and lined with shelves that had the same kind of designs as the doors. The shelves contained a variety of books. This was very, very impressive for a private collection. A small shelf over on the side caught his attention. It was lined with all the books L had ever written. Walking over to it, he gently removed Ryuuzaki's copy of Poison Apple and leafed through the pages.

"You like to read L's work too?"

Ryuuzaki's lips pulled up at the corners in a small smile. "You could say that, Raito-kun. All his work, though...only one main character. In the book he's writing now, I hear there are two...it is intriguing."

Light turned to him. "You know this how?"

A mask settled firmly over Ryuuzaki's face. "A leak online, Raito-kun." With the mask in place, there was no way to tell if L was telling the truth. Light decided it didn't matter how he knew, anyway. It was possible that he could just be lying.

Light replaced the book and realized that he hadn't eaten yet. As if on cue, his stomach rumbled. Ryuuzaki took note and quickly offered to get Raito something to eat. Light agreed, and it soon became a plan to eat down at the lake.

SSS

Eating lunch with Light was pleasant, L decided. Sitting down by his lake eating layer cake and watching Light watch the geese was certainly relaxing. Still, L thought as the calls of the geese rang out over the water, he had to be more careful. He had slipped up. He had wanted to try to find out why he had added a new character to his book, and he wanted to bounce it off of someone. Light was the only one he really had any contact with, and, well, he had slipped up. He, L, had made a mistake. He firmly resolved that it would not happen again under any circumstances. Light was not to know who he really was until L deemed him completely trustworthy.

After all, he was the 'mysterious' and 'enigmatic' L, and he wanted to be sure Light would keep the secret before he revealed it. L valued his privacy, and if people knew his identity, that would all be lost in an instant. He was not willing to take that chance. No matter how interesting he found Light, he was not yet worth that huge risk to him.

Even if the character in his book was beginning to become suspiciously reminiscent of Light.

SSS

Light relaxed on his bed, doing nothing other than thinking. Sometimes, just thinking was relaxing. It gave him a chance to try to break into his subconscious and see what was lurking. That was if he was ambitious. Today he was just trying to chill out. So he was just concentrating on whatever drifted to the forefront of his mind of its own accord. Not much to think about today. Except, of course, his day at Ryuuzaki's.

After their impromptu lunch, Ryuuzaki and his limo had escorted Light back to campus, and Ryuuzaki had disappeared off to wherever it was Ryuuzaki disappeared to on a regular basis. Light had concluded that he was completely loaded. He was richer than anyone else he knew, that was for sure.

Light realized that he knew nothing about Ryuuzaki other than that he was told to call him Ryuuzaki and that he was a bit of a sugar addict (and that was just a guess from what he had observed of him so far). He didn't know what Ryuuzaki did, what his hobbies were, or even where he lived.

Light, making a note to learn more about the raven-haired man, drifted off to sleep.

SSS

L was watching his story unfold in front of him. His insomniac tendencies really helped him finish books before deadlines, and, with Light serving as an added distraction, it was absolutely necessary to write at night. Still, this new character was a bit of an enigma to him.

Now, the main character of his books was always him. Except in Poison Apple, in which he was the detective. He wasn't literally the character, but part of him ended up in each and every one of his creations. With the exception of this new character. He was surprised to find that, as he wrote, his main character and the secondary character were developing a friendship. His main characters tended to remain unattached to anyone, rather like the way he himself avoided people. He was beginning to wonder if this book was becoming a portal into his own mind.

Chapter done, he clicked his laptop shut. A glance at the clock told him it was 2:15. He felt like a shower. And company. The silence was strangely getting to him tonight. A small smirk spread over his face. He knew just what to do.

SSS

Light shot awake. Something was not right here. He NEVER woke up in the middle of the night for no reason. Something was off. He glanced around quickly. Nothing obviously wrong. The sound of running water reached his ears. THAT was off. He studied his room more closely. Something on the edge of his bed caught his eye.

"Oh, fuck no. No, no, no, no!" He stormed over to his bathroom and began beating on the door. "Ryuuzaki! You are NOT in my dorm at three thirty in the morning taking a shower! Ryuuzaki! RYUUZAKI!!!"

At the end of Light's bed, neatly folded, was a pair of baggy blue jeans and a white shirt, awaiting a clean author.

* * *

Two chapters in one day. Getting progressively longer! Yay! I almost have 20 reviews! Ok, this time the question is not-so-random: Who should be seme in this one? I'm leaning towards L. Let's put it up to a public vote. Vote away!


	5. Panda

My awesomely awesome fashion statement of a wrapped up hand and I are BAAAACK! Yep, bone bruise, soft tissue damage, and all, now that the AP test is over, I'm determined to type another chapter. Oh yeah, the vote came back with L on top, pun definitely intended.

* * *

L sat serenely in the coffee shop. He and Light had discovered it about a week earlier on one of their walks together through the campus. The shop was tucked out of the way, between two shady oaks that had tables under them so that if one wished, one could sit under the trees on a nice day and enjoy the weather while eating. L had, on this day, elected to sit inside, as it was getting rather hot out, and he preferred the the air conditioned store to the sweltering heat outside.

He and Light had now known each other for about a month. L had found that month very enjoyable. Never before had he had a companion to spend time with. He was sure Light had other friends, but he seemed to enjoy spending time with him as well. L's laptop, as usual, was opened in front of him and he was typing in between sips of his extremely sugar-laced tea and bites of his little coffee cake. The book was progressing at a nice clip. He was used to the secondary character's presence now, and found that she was adding to the story. It was fun to write for two characters instead of one.

And on top of the fun he was having writing the two characters, he was having just as much fun watching the relationship between them develop. Their bond, it seemed, was becoming stronger. They had progressed from acquaintances to friends, to, it seemed, a pair that was always together. Rather like the development of his and Light's relationship, although they certainly were not together as often as his characters were. He wondered, not for the first time, if the book was beginning to become a little more than just fiction. With the exception on the second character's gender (which he had forced into being female, mind you), she was eerily similar to Light.

Speaking of Light, he was due to arrive soon. They had agreed to meet here at 9:30 this Saturday morning, which gave him exactly 2 minutes 47 seconds to arrive on time. L had already ordered him his usual coffee, which Light kept far more bitter than L could ever stomach. It was sitting on the other side of table, directly across from him, steaming, also waiting for Light's arrival.

The bell to the door dinged as someone opened it, and L turned his head, expecting Light. Sadly, it was just Misa. She had probably been stalking Light again and had figured out that they had planned to meet here. Sure enough, her eyes lit up when she saw L. Typical. L was bait for Light, as far as she was concerned. She took a seat at a table not far from theirs. L studiously ignored her and returned to typing. When the bell dinged a second time, he didn't even bother looking up. Light had arrived with 32 seconds to spare.

Light sat across from L and took a sip of his coffee. L didn't bother to close his laptop. He had told Light not to look at it while he was typing, and Light had obeyed. He had not tried to peek a single time. L trusted him.

"Ohayo, Ryuuzaki," Light said. He tended to return to his native tongue in the mornings, before he really felt like dealing with the English language.

"Ohayo, Raito-kun," L replied in turn. "I hope the coffee is to you taste?" L knew full well it was.

"Hai. Arigato, Ryuuzaki." Light replied, taking another sip. Then he effortlessly slid back into the English he had to use with everyone else. "Misa's over there. She hasn't ambushed us yet."

"I predict she will be over here in less than 23 seconds. And the fact that Raito-kun continues to avoid Amane-san, who is, according to other males, hot, brings me to another fact."

"Ryuuzaki, do not-"

"Sixty-two percent chance that Raito-kun is gay."

Before Light could reply, Misa wandered over, exactly 23 seconds after L had said she would. L was correct, again.

"Light, I need an escort to a dance later tonight. Would you go with me?" L was curious as to how Light would respond.

"Sorry, Misa, I can't. Ryuuzaki and I have plans. We're going to be going to the zoo." Light lied as easily as he coasted through his classes.

Misa looked perturbed. "So you're choosing him over me?"

"I can't just blow off plans with someone, Misa. Maybe another time." As easy as that, Misa was happy again.

"Okay, Light! And remember! I get to have your first born!" She flounced out of the restaurant.

"Raito-kun will have to let me know how his first born turns out. I hope his child will inherit its father's intelligence."

Light shot L a dirty look. "Fat chance Misa will have my first born, or any of my children. I happen to think intelligence matters. Anyway, you up for the zoo later? I don't really want to lie to Misa...ok, that was a lie. I think she'll probably have one of the girls from her gaggle check up on us to see if we actually go. Plus, it could be fun."

L was a little surprised. It was always him that initiated and set up their outings. Maybe Light was finally accepting the fact that Ryuuzaki wouldn't always be willing to suggest something to do. "Of course I would like to go to the zoo with Raito-kun. Perhaps we could educate the public about the animals better than the zookeepers can."

Light smiled at that. "We can if you want, Ryuuzaki. How about we leave at two? Are you going to wear shoes?"

"Do I ever wear shoes, Raito-kun?" Light hadn't thought so, but it was worth a try.

SSS

Light waited patiently at the gates to the campus for Ryuuzaki and his limo to arrive. This was quite a switch. Usually Ryuuzaki was waiting for him. The sleek, black limo pulled up and Ryuuzaki opened the door from the inside to allow Light in. Light settled himself comfortably on his seat. He had learned a lot more about the enigmatic man over the last month, just as he said he would. He knew that Ryuuzaki was an insomniac who almost never slept for more than a half hour a night, if at all. He knew that he loved the library on the campus more than any other place. And he knew that he was always typing away on his laptop.

Light had been genuinely curious as to what Ryuuzaki was always doing on there, but he had asked Light not to broach the subject again, and to promise not to look at the screen while he was doing whatever it was that he did. Light would respect his wishes.

Light was resisting the urge to nod off. He hadn't slept well last night, because L hadn't slept last night. L just loved to barge into Light's room in the early hours of the morning when he wanted to discuss something. At least he had had some coffee, which was helping.

They pulled up to the zoo and hopped out of the limo, attracting some stares. A usual occurrence when you hung out with Ryuuzaki. Moving through the throngs of people, they made their way to the front gate. Light noticed that Ryuuzaki hung very close to him. He didn't like crowds. They paid, and were soon moving through the gate into the zoo.

"Well, Ryuuzaki, where do you want to go first?"

"I'd rather like to see the parrots. They are interesting to watch, as they are intelligent creatures."

"Sure. Um, Ryuuzaki...is that...Misa?" Light spotted her through the crowd.

"Raito-kun is correct. That is indeed Amane-san. He was also correct in his assumptions that she would check up on us, albeit her method was different than expected."

Light groaned. Wonderful. All he needed was Misa stalking him and Ryuuzaki through the zoo. Going anywhere with Ryuuzaki was enough without her too. "She didn't even attempt a disguise. At least she's keeping her distance."

"Yes, she probably assumes that Raito-kun has not spotted her."

Light almost sighed, but decided to try to make the best of the situation. "Ok, Ryuuzaki, we'll go to the parrots. They have a walk-in aviary. We'll probably be able to interact with them."

L seemed to enjoy that prospect. With Misa tailing them, they made their way to the parrots. There, they were able to handle the birds after sanitizing their hands. The umbrella cockatoo was the sweetest, but the sun conure had some serious personality. It was such a clown. Light briefly considered getting a bird, but dismissed the idea until later. He didn't have the necessary time to devote to one.

The entire time, Misa lurked outside the aviary. Oh yeah. Subtle. Because no one would notice a person standing suspiciously outside the bird aviary glancing in regularly but not actually approaching. THAT wasn't odd at all.

After the parrots, Light and Ryuuzaki hit up the cheetahs, elephants, and gorillas. During all this, Misa disappeared. "Ryuuzaki...where's Misa?"

Ryuuzaki glanced at him. "Raito-kun wants to find Misa? Maybe I should lower my percentages..."

Light looked at him sharply. "Ryuuzaki, once a day is too many times. Don't push it. I haven't hit you in a week. I'm just wondering were she is. She was practically on top of us until just now..."

A crowd of people was gathering around the chimpanzee exhibit. Curious, Light wandered over. And sighed. He didn't know why it happened. He didn't know HOW it happened. But, sure enough, Misa was in the chimpanzee exhibit. He groaned when she spotted him.

"Light! LIGHT! Get me out of here, Light!!" People were starting to look around for who she was talking to. "LIGHT! Person with the tan jacket and red tie! HELP!" Now their attention was settled on him. Ryuuzaki looked mildly amused. A zookeeper appeared and started barking orders at the people closest to him. Light used the opportunity to slip away. Ryuuzaki followed after him.

"How the hell do you end up accidentally in the chimpanzee exhibit? And who the heck shouts at someone to get you out who obviously can't do a thing?"

"Apparently Amane-san, Raito-kun. She is...not as bright as you."

"Or you, Ryuuzaki. Anyway, where are we?" Light read the signs and found that they were close to an exhibit he'd rather like to see. Thanks to Misa's current adventure, it was deserted around the exhibit. Looks like she could be useful, sometimes.

Inside, a panda was serenely eating bamboo. It was cute. Glancing at Ryuuzaki, he found that the raven-haired man was enthralled with the panda. It WAS rare to see one. This zoo had to have gotten special permission from the Chinese government. Grinning, he noticed the similarities between Ryuuzaki and the panda, especially the black under the eyes.

Ryuuzaki turned to meet his gaze, a small smile pulling at his lips. Their eyes met, and Light smiled.

"Raito-kun is my only friend." Ryuuzaki surprised him by saying. "I'm glad I met him in the library. It appears I have to thank Amane-san for something."

Light, startled, said, " I'm glad I met you, too, Ryuuzaki. We both have to thank Misa." Ryuuzaki began to move towards Light. He looked as if he wanted to do something, but, as usual, Misa ruined the moment.

"Liiight, why didn't you help me?" She whined, coming up on them. "Those chimpanzees could have eaten me!"

"Highly unlikely, Amane-san. Chimpanzees are mostly vegetarian. They will scavenge meat, but I doubt they would eat you."

Misa glared at him. Apparently giving him the silent treatment, she ignored him completely and waited for Light to speak.

"Ryuuzaki's right. They wouldn't have eaten you. And there was nothing I could do. I couldn't very well go in there, too. That would have only achieved both of us being stuck in there." Smirking, he asked a question she wouldn't be able to answer. "Why are you here, anyway? What happened to the dance?"

"I, uh, well, um... it was...canceled! It was canceled, and I wanted to see the...elephants!" Misa spluttered. "I was just going there now. Would you like to come with me?" Misa was a horrible liar.

"We've already been. You should still go and see them, if you came all the way out here just for that. Maybe we'll run into you again later."

Misa couldn't argue. She walked off, looking a bit miffed. Oh well. She was the stalker that had fallen into the chimpanzee habitat. Her own fault.

Ryuuzaki was still gazing at the panda, obviously deep in thought. "Ryuuzaki?" Light asked. He jerked out of his trance.

"Amane-san is gone? We should go see the rest of the animals, then." They left, heading toward the zebras.

After seeing all the animals, they headed back to the limo. They had successfully dodged Misa for the rest of the visit, and had no idea if she had left or stayed. The sun was getting lower in the sky. It was about seven, judging from its position in the sky. Light couldn't believe he'd spent five hours in the zoo. It had to have something to do with his company.

Grinning, he waited until they were settled into the limo, then pulled out his surprise for Ryuuzaki. He had bought it at the gift shop while he wasn't looking.

"Surprise, Ryuuzaki!" Light handed him a stuffed panda bear.

Ryuuzaki regarded it, then smiled. "It's very cute, Raito-kun. Thank you." Ryuuzaki settled it gently in his lap, then, as usual, pulled out his laptop and began to type. Light smiled and settled back in the seat, content.

They stopped at the coffee shop on the way back to Light's dorm to grab a bite to eat. Afterwards, they swept into his dorm and Light changed out of his clothes into what he slept in while Ryuuzaki was around. No sleeping in boxers after that first incident.

Ryuuzaki, surprisingly, yawned and shut his laptop, settling on to the floor. Light stopped him. "Ryuuzaki, you've been sleeping here a lot lately. Why don't you just sleep on the other side of the bed? It'll be more comfortable for you."

"If Raito-kun is sure." Ryuuzaki slipped onto the other side of the bed with his panda, pulling the covers around him and, for once, immediately drifted off. Tonight, it was Light who couldn't sleep.

With Ryuuzaki breathing softly beside him, it was impossible not to keep wondering just what he had felt for Ryuuzaki today, when they were watching the panda. When Ryuuzaki had come close to him, he had waited in anticipation to see what he would do. Now, it seemed he would never know.

Finally, after a lot of tossing and turning, he drifted off. He dreamt of pandas and Ryuuzaki.

* * *

Still longer! I'm enjoying doing this story. Sorry if the slight time skip bothered anyone. It just helped me progress their relationship a bit further, especially since it wasn't immediately, and still has yet to be, defined as romantic. Ahh, the parrots. I have a weakness for U2's and my co-writer is a silly, sweet, sun conure. So, question for this chapter : Favorite song? Mine's a tie between Mad World and I Want Candy (the version by Bow Wow Wow).


	6. Moonlight Sonata

The Moonlight Sonata rocks. 'Nuff said.

* * *

Light woke up slowly. Sundays were his relax days. He woke up at nine, which was late for him, and usually stayed in and did whatever. Whatever was usually reading Shakespeare, Dante's _Inferno_, or any of L's works. He rather enjoyed his Sundays.

Groggily coming out of the depths of sleep, he realized his pillow was unusually warm. He snuggled closer to it, content. And then he realized that his pillow was...breathing?! He suddenly remembered that he had allowed Ryuuzaki to sleep in the bed last night, and quickly came to the conclusion that he was snuggled up to him, head on his chest. Fabulous. He didn't want to move – Ryuuzaki was still sleeping. That happened very rarely, and he refused to wake the raven-haired man by moving too much.

Which meant he was stuck on Ryuuzaki. Scarily enough, he realized that that fact didn't bother him at all. Maybe he needed to get his head checked. Either that, or him and Ryuuzaki were becoming very comfortable with each others' presences. Probably the latter. He hoped. Being insane wouldn't be good for him.

_Moonlight Sonata_ started wafting through the air. Light had it set to play at nine, both AM and PM, on Sundays. Quietly, though, in case he was still sleeping. He loved that song. It was calming and beautiful. Beethoven was a great composer. It was a great way to wake up in the mornings. Ryuuzaki stirred gently, then settled back down. He could probably hear the song in his sleep.

Light grinned when he saw that Ryuuzaki was still clutching his panda. He was cute, like that. And that was a thought he would never repeat out loud. Especially to Ryuuzaki. Him and his percentages. That would just fuel the fire.

Ryuuzaki stirred again, and his eyes blinked open. In a flash, Light was off of him. Maybe Ryuuzaki wouldn't notice he had been there.

"The _Moonlight Sonata_. Raito-kun has good taste in classical music. This song is quite beautiful."

"I'm glad we agree, Ryuuzaki. Breakfast? I have cake." Light had cake specifically for his enigmatic friend. He also had tea and more sugar cubes than he thought should be kept in one place. He had candy, too: lollipops, chocolate bars, Hershey's kisses, caramels, and more. All for Ryuuzaki. He had complained once after staying the night, and Light had stocked up.

"Actually, just tea for now, Raito-kun. And perhaps a kiss?" Light was startled, until he realized Ryuuzaki meant a _Hershey's_ kiss. Not a real kiss.

"Sure, Ryuuzaki, I'll put the water on and grab the kisses."

SSS

L was...confused. He wasn't sure what he was feeling. He held a great amount of affection for Light. Having never had a friend, he wasn't sure if this was just a feeling of kinship. He assumed it was. Still, it was more than he had expected when he had sought out Light as a friend. When he had woken up this morning and Light had been snuggled up to him, he had felt...happy. He had liked it when Light was that close to him. When Light had jolted up like something had bit him when L woke up, he had decided to say nothing of it. Likely Light had been trying to avoid waking him, and was embarrassed that he had ended up in the position in the first place.

"Here you are, Ryuuzaki." L smiled slightly when Light set his tea down in front of him, along with a bowl of sugar cubes and three Hershey's kisses. Ahh, L had rather enjoyed the startled look on Light's face when he had requested the kiss.

"Thank you, Raito-kun." Light nodded and sipped at his coffee, which L was still surprised he could stand. Black coffee. Ick.

Popping one of the kisses into his mouth, he sucked on it thoughtfully. At the zoo, when Light had told him that he was glad he had met him, it had made L happy. Very much so. He wasn't sure what he had been about to do when Misa interrupted, but he was sure it would have crossed some of the social boundaries that he still wasn't quite familiar with. Looks like he had two things to thank Misa for.

He stretched languidly, then pulled out his laptop. For once, he wasn't planning on writing. He was, instead, going to see if there was anything interesting to do on a Sunday afternoon, if Light was willing to go out with him. L was sure he had heard that term before. He wasn't sure where. Oh well. He was sure Light would say yes.

SSS

Light was just watching Ryuuzaki think. It had become one of his favorite pastimes. You could almost see Ryuuzaki's brain working when he really got into it. Which he was, today. It was fun to watch, because when he figured something out, his eyes would light up, just for a moment, and then he would run with that newly discovered piece of information and try to solve the whole puzzle.

Today, his eyes weren't lighting up. He slipped a kiss into his mouth, still thinking. He looked frustrated. For once, it looks like he wasn't going to solve his puzzle. Finally, he appeared to relinquish the internal battle he was having and pulled out his laptop. Instead of typing, he opened up a web browser.

Sipping his coffee, Light walked over to his bookshelf and picked up Romeo&Juliet. Not his usual choice, but he felt like it today. Settling back comfortably on his bed, he opened the book and began to read the tale of star-crossed lovers.

It wasn't long until Ryuuzaki's voice interrupted him. "Would Raito-kun like to do something with me today?"

"Sure, Ryuuzaki. What did you have in mind?"

"I was wondering if Raito-kun wanted to do anything specific?" Light blinked. He was being offered a chance to choose where they went before Ryuuzaki suggested his destination, he realized.

"It's your turn to choose, Ryuuzaki. I picked the zoo yesterday."

Ryuuzaki nodded. "A new restaurant has opened that I would like to eat at. It deals exclusively with sweets. Before we eat, would Raito-kun like to see the natural history museum near here? It is quite interesting, as it has many exhibits."

"Sounds good. Let me get dressed and we can leave. Your extra set of clothes is in the bottom drawer of the dresser."

Ryuuzaki nodded, and they set about getting ready to go.

SSS

L had known that Light would let him choose the destination, and yet he had offered him the choice of picking where to go. He would have gone where Light wanted, if Light had suggested a place. Still, he was excited to eat at this new restaurant. He was positive they had to have good sweets if that was all they dealt with.

Currently, they were in the back of the limo, on the way to the museum. Light was happily eating a bag of potato chips in the seat across from him. Light had stocked his dorm with food for L, so L had stored a bag of potato chips for Light in his limo. L was just enjoying observing Light. He was quite stunning, actually, especially as relaxed as he was now. His hair was perfectly in place, and his mocha eyes were brilliant, with a brilliant mind behind them. He remembered his glimpse of Light in his boxers – he was perfect. L was positive that this was not how friends regarded each other, but he tried not to focus on it and let it slip. Light was his friend, albeit a friend he had intense affection for. He was afraid to ask if it was normal to feel this way, because he didn't want it to be abnormal and to have Light abandon their friendship as a result. That idea terrified L. He would not loose Light. That was unacceptable. To distract himself, he pulled out his laptop and began to type.

SSS

Light found that he was really enjoying the museum. It was full of exhibits that interested him. He especially liked to wander around the hall of dinosaurs. Their immense size was intimidating. He couldn't imagine seeing one alive. They had dominated the land for so long, and only a freak occurrence had wiped them out. He wondered what would have happened if the asteroid had not struck earth. Would humans have even evolved? Or would the therapod family, specifically the raptors, have evolved to be the most intelligent creatures on earth? Birds were smart enough, and they were their direct descendants.

The whole time, Ryuuzaki seemed a bit distracted. Light frequently wondered what he was thinking about, and had to resist the urge to ask. About halfway through their trip through the museum, he seemed to have conquered whatever was bothering him and returned to his usual unusual ways.

People stared. As usual. They were actually being very rude. They didn't even bother to hide the fact that they were looking, and sometimes very judgmental looks passed over their faces. Light once again had to resist an urge, but this one was the urge to go over and ask them what exactly their problem was. They certainly had no right to judge Ryuuzaki. He was smarter than them by a mile.

"Raito-kun, would you like to see my favorite exhibit?" Light was jolted out of his reverie by Ryuuzaki's voice.

"Of course. Lead the way." Curiously, he followed Ryuuzaki to the back of the museum. He was instantly floored by what he saw.

"It is the largest creature that has ever lived. I find it fascinating." Light could see why. A blue whale skeleton was assembled in this room. This very large room. It was huge. Its tongue, had it been alive, would have been the size of a car. Some things in nature were just astounding. Light just looked at it for the longest time, Ryuuzaki waiting patiently.

After they toured the rest of the exhibits, they left the museum and returned to the limo, ready to head to what Light was sure was about to become Ryuuzaki's favorite restaurant.

"Surprise, Raito-kun." Ryuuzaki said softly. Light turned to him and a grin broke out across his face. Ryuuzaki handed him a stuffed blue whale.

"Thanks, Ryuuzaki. I like it." Ryuuzaki smiled slightly and nodded.

The restaurant was brightly lit, and booths lined the walls. The color scheme was a bright affair to match the lighting. The smell of baked cakes and other sweets wafted through the air. Light could practically see Ryuuzaki drool. They were seated immediately, and, because they had a female waitress, Light was able to finagle a quiet booth in the back of the restaurant, nicely secluded.

Ryuuzaki immediately started to poke through the menu, while Light took his time. He finally decided on a slice of vanilla cake. Simple, yet delicious. Ryuuzaki, of course, had to get a lot more fancy with his food. He ordered crème brulèe.

When the waitress returned with their order, Ryuuzaki dug in with gusto, obviously enjoying his food. Light, again, took his time, eating his cake slowly. He didn't eat sweets all that often, so this rare occurrence was savored. Of course, he had a feeling he'd be coming back frequently with Ryuuzaki.

"Ryuuzaki, will you be staying in my dorm again tonight?" Light asked. If he was, Light would have to get more tea. It was almost all gone.

"Would Raito-kun like me to?" Ryuuzaki asked in reply, after swallowing a large bite of him food.

"You're welcome to whenever you like, Ryuuzaki. At this point, you don't have to ask for permission. You never have before."

"Then I shall stay with Raito-kun tonight." Light was glad. He enjoyed the company now, even though it had been rather annoying to have Ryuuzaki barging in at first.

After finishing their meal, they paid the bill and prepared to leave. Ryuuzaki, obviously having enjoyed his food, left a large tip. The waitress asked Light out, and he politely declined. Ryuuzaki looked like he was about to unleash his demonic percentages, but a glare from Light cut him off.

On the way back to the dorm, they stopped off at the coffee shop. They went inside and each ordered their usual, Light his coffee, Ryuuzaki his tea. Misa, whom they had successfully avoided all day, showed up and sat at their table. Not much they could do about it.

"Light, why do you hang out with Ryuuzaki so much?" Misa asked.

"Because he's my friend, Misa. Why else?"

Misa looked like she was about to say something Light would rather she didn't. "You hang out with him an AWFUL lot, Light. More than with your other friends. And you've turned down all of us girls. I'm beginning to think you're gay." Ryuuzaki choked on his tea. He was actually laughing. Light had never heard him laugh before. Too bad it was at his expense, or he might have enjoyed it.

"Misa, I am not gay. I just don't want to date right now." Light glared at Ryuuzaki, who was still chuckling lightly.

"Ohh, ok! That's good, because then Misa would have had no chance of having Light's first born. I'll tell all the girls you said so, Light!" She flounced out of the coffee shop.

Light groaned. "Great. Either I'm gay, or Misa gets to have my first child. I can't win."

"Actually, if Raito-kun was actually homosexual and chose to reveal that fact to everyone, he may win. Misa would leave him alone, and he could have a relationship in which he was attracted to the other party."

"L, I have told you countless times. I'm not gay. Not. Gay. If I am ever attracted to anyone, male or female, I'll be sure to let you know. Until then, let's leave my sexuality alone."

"Raito-kun is asexual."

"Ryuuzaki!"

Back at the dorm, Light was taking a shower. He was enjoying the steam and the warmth of the water running over him. He was tempted to consider what Ryuuzaki told him today. Maybe he was asexual. Not likely, though. He just needed to find someone he was actually attracted to, and all would be well. If it was a girl, he was set.

If it was a guy...well, provided the guy was gay, he was pretty sure he'd be fine. If not, well, he was going to have to work hard. He could maybe turn a straight guy gay...ok, odd train of thought. Moving on.

He switched off the water. Outside, he could hear Ryuuzaki moving around in his dorm. It was an oddly comforting sound. He was rustling around in the kitchen, probably searching for the lollipops.

"They're on the third shelf in the second cabinet, Ryuuzaki!" The sound of more rustling, and then a muffled 'thank you' could be heard. Light grinned.

He got out and quickly dressed. He opened the door and let all the steam out, revealing Ryuuzaki perched on his bed, sucking on a lollipop while reading Romeo&Juliet. He looked up.

"Raito-kun left it on his bed. I hope it was ok that I started to read it?"

"Of course. Read whatever you like. I was going to read Dante's _Inferno_ tonight before bed anyway." Light plucked said book off the shelf as he spoke.

Ryuuzaki nodded, then returned to reading. Light sat on the bed beside him and opened his book. It was cozy, the two of them reading together. The fact that Ryuuzaki had practically moved in added another dimension to the scene. It was relaxing.

The Moonlight Sonata began to play in the room, and Light smiled. That made it nine o'clock at night. He shut his book and slid under the covers. Ryuuzaki did not. He wasn't going to sleep tonight.

"Is it ok if I leave the music on, Raito-kun? Or would it bother your sleep?"

"Leave it on. I like to fall asleep listening to it, sometimes." Ryuuzaki rose from the bed and made his way over to the desk his laptop was resting on. He opened it, and the sound of him typing mixed with the song lulled Light to sleep.

SSS

L sat, startled. The sound of the Moonlight Sonata still drifted through the room. Other than that, it was silent. Even the sound of his typing had been silenced. He had stopped typing due to what had just happened. Ordinarily, in any other book, it would be no big deal. But this was L's book, and this had never happened before now. Add to it the fact that the main character was modeled after L and that the secondary was disturbingly similar to Light, and you had the situation that stunned him now. His two characters...had just kissed.

* * *

Poor L! He's falling in love and doesn't realize it! And Light is inching in that direction, too. Well, at least their relationship is finally starting to progress to a romantic one! La pregunta para este capitulo es: Quien puedo leer esta pregunta?


	7. Attraction

Anyone else take their tea the way L does? I do. I don't like it bitter. I like it with lots of sugar! This was written at 3:19 in the morning, because my mind refuses to turn off at night and decided it wanted to write this. Hmm, ever notice that even thought it's 3:19 in the morning, we refer to it as being at night? Weird.

* * *

Light awoke to a loud crash in his kitchen. Bolting out of bed, he darted in to find Ryuuzaki in the middle of a mess of sweets and candy while holding a cake. He was looking at the broken chair that lay on the ground behind him ruefully. And his day had begun.

After cleaning up the huge mess in the kitchen, Light drank his regular cup of coffee and set out for classes, with a stern warning to Ryuuzaki to behave. Not that he thought he'd listen.

Light had been spending so much time with Ryuuzaki lately, he was afraid his grades might drop. Highly unlikely, and pretty much almost impossible, but he was still determined to spend the entire day devoted only to school. Again, another thing he thought was not likely to happen, but dammit, he was going to try.

On his way to his first class, he met up with a friend he hadn't been seeing much of. Chiyo was practically the only girl in school who wasn't trying to jump his bones, and she was pretty good company.

"Have you managed to put off Misa and her crew yet?" She asked as a form of greeting.

"No. I doubt Misa will ever really leave me alone, anyway. She is a nuisance I suppose I'll have to get used to." Unfortunately.

"You know, and I am in NO way implying that this is true, but you may want to maybe hint to her that you're gay. She doesn't bother the gay boys too much." What was with everyone and him being gay?

"No chance. Yesterday, she told me she thought I was gay. She still wants to date me. She wants to have my first born." Insert shudder here. Eww.

Chiyo laughed. For waaayyy longer than Light found necessary. Apparently people really thought it was funny when it was implied that he was gay.

"Light, maybe you want to get a girlfriend. Everyone thinks you're gay. Ryuuzaki even gives percentages."

"PLEASE do not mention the percentages. I hate the percentages. He managed to spend the night with me last night without giving percentages, so I'd like to avoid the subject and maybe he'll come off it." Chiyo was staring at him with a really weird look on her face. "What? What's with the look?"

"Oh my god, he spent the night. He spent the night. You let him spend the night. Jeez, Light, I was just joking about you being gay. I didn't know. Sorry."

"NOT LIKE THAT!!! He just sleeps with me some nights. Wait, no, that was bad. He sleeps at my dorm sometimes. No sexual contact. None," Light said, exasperated.

"Ok, for a minute there you had me going. I thought you meant you were having sex with Ryuuzaki." Chiyo was grinning like she was enjoying the confusion.

Light resisted the urge to glare, and instead opened the door to their first class, Advanced Psychology. It was a really interesting topic, learning the ways a human mind could work. Analyzing himself could sometimes be a little negative. He was discovering that he had a bit of a god complex. Analyzing Chiyo could be hilarious. The ways her mind worked...he tried not to snicker.

Slipping into their seats, they pulled out their notebooks and began to take notes. Light wrote down what the professor said so accurately that, if asked, he could repeat it verbatim. They had an exam coming up, and he wanted to ace it. He had a perfect 100 average going in all his classes, and he wasn't planning on letting it slip at all.

Someone slid into the seat next to him. Light didn't like when other students did that, especially ones he wasn't friendly with. It usually meant they wanted to cheat and would ask him to let them do so, or they would just start copying, thinking he wouldn't notice, while actually they were being very blatant. He heard Chiyo giggle from beside him.

Turning to confront the student, his semi-rude comment caught in his throat. "Ryuuzaki!" He hissed. "What are you doing here?!"

The enigmatic man smiled slightly and said, "It was lonely without Raito-kun. I am allowed to go wherever I want on campus, so I thought I'd simply go with Raito-kun to his classes." The look Light gave him could only be described as incredulous as Ryuuzaki pulled out his laptop and began to type. This man was taking unusual to extremes. No one dared crash this professor's class, and Ryuuzaki had walked right in and sat down.

Chiyo glanced at Ryuuzaki's fingers flying over the keys. She leaned over to try to see the screen. "Hey, Ryuuzaki, what are you doing on-" He had closed the laptop with a click before she even finished her sentence.

"He doesn't like it when you do that," Light told her. "Don't try to look at what he's doing. It's actually a little rude to do that." Light realized he was scolding her like he would Sayu. He missed his younger sister. Chiyo shrugged, then went back to note-taking. Light attempted to do the same, but Ryuuzaki's presence was distracting. He kept missing the little details that the professor included. He'd have to, for the first time ever, ask to borrow Chiyo's notes to fill in the gaps in his own.

When the time came to switch classes, Chiyo, Ryuuzaki, and Light all rose simultaneously. Light had a break before his next class, but Chiyo had to head off. After saying their farewells, Light walked towards the tree he liked to sit under and think, followed closely by Ryuuzaki. So much for dedicating today to school only. He had acquired a shadow.

They settled together under the tree, Light letting his mind wander, Ryuuzaki observing him. If anyone else stared at him like that, it would be creepy. But this was just Ryuuzaki being Ryuuzaki, so Light wasn't worried. The look of puzzlement Ryuuzaki had on his face was something that piqued his interest, however.

"Ryuuzaki, what's up? You look confused."

"I...don't want to tell Raito-kun. Well, that is a lie, because I would really like to ask Raito-kun a question, but I do not feel that it would be in my best interests to do so. For now, I would prefer it if he would pretend not to notice." Light shrugged and let it go. He figured it was kind of like what Ryuuzaki did on his laptop – it would be revealed when he felt like revealing it.

SSS

Shadowing Light to all his classes was proving to be fun. L found that he could get all his work done while Light did his. And he got to meet Light's friends, which was an interesting affair. He found that most of them knew about him already, so Light must have been talking about him. That fact made him feel very happy.

His book characters seemed to be behaving themselves after their kiss – perhaps they just needed to release some of the tension in their relationship. Or L did not have enough knowledge of their situation to let them do more. Probably the first, as L was sure that, if his characters insisted, he could provide them the means to do what they wanted. Still, he couldn't yet accurately define the relationship as romantic. They still seemed like great friends growing closer. Experimenting, almost. If they liked the information their little experiment provided, the relationship would progress. If not, back to being friends. If only real life could be so simple. Or as easily undone as hitting the backspace key. If it was, L would surely ask Light the question of exactly what he was feeling. If he didn't like the answer, him ever asking the question would be erased.

Watching Light in class was interesting. Whenever Light did something L found exceptionally

cute, he'd get a warm feeling inside. Like when he delighted in new knowledge as if he was a little boy. And he also found that Light's happiness made him happy.

But he also ran into some unpleasant emotions. Whenever he saw a girl giving Light a look that, quite frankly, looked like she wanted him badly, he felt an angry clawing in the pit of his stomach. And when Light was touched by a girl who was trying to look nonchalant about it, but really was trying to get him to pay her attention, he felt the urge to snatch Light away. If friendship was this intense, he wasn't sure how Light had so many friends. Surely he couldn't really feel this for all the people he spent time with?

And L wasn't sure why, but he found himself desperately hoping that Light felt the same things for him as he did for Light. When he thought he might not, he got the unpleasant sensation that his stomach was dropping away. He had never been bombarded with so many emotions at once.

The classes were fun to listen to, when he wasn't busy just feeling all the emotions being around Light elicited. He knew almost all the information already, but it served as a bit of a refresher, and he was certain that he could help Light with all his homework, if he needed it. L doubted he would need the help, but knowing he could provide it if necessary was nice. When the day ended, L requested a walk with Light to their coffee shop to get something to eat and some tea. Light, as he had expected he would, agreed.

SSS

Eating was their standard affair, Light ordering his usual snack, and Ryuuzaki ordering little cakes and tea, which he promptly dumped a ton of sugar in. The waitress actually knew their names now, and they were quickly becoming known as the coffee shop regulars. Come to think of it, Ryuuzaki had been spending so much time with Light, he couldn't have been in the library very often lately. Light would have to go with him sometime, and maybe pick up a good classic while they were there.

After eating, they left, walking along leisurely while just thinking. They didn't even need to talk; the silence between them was far from awkward. Instead, it was filled with the knowledge that they were both busy working away at something in their minds.

Passing by the sports fields, it was almost fun to watch the people playing their assorted sports. Light had never really been into sports besides tennis, but it was still interesting to watch.  
"Hey, look out!" A voice rang out from across the fields. Light was too slow in reacting to the warning. He felt a searing pain in the back of his head, and then the world went black.

SSS

L was in a panicked flurry. He had seen the baseball coming, and had been powerless to prevent it from striking Light in the back of the head. Light had gone down almost instantly after the hit. No cry of pain or anything. He was just out. L's mind was screaming details about brain injuries at him: the skull filling up with blood, pressure on the brain, and other horrible things. Students came running from every direction, eager to try to help.

Worry for Light was clawing L from the inside out. One thing was clear, and that was that Light needed to get to a medical facility. L, ignoring the surprised looks from other students, bent down, and, tucking one arm under Light's knees and letting Light's head settle against his chest, lifted him up. Chiyo materialized at his side, her face plastered with worry.

"What happened? I didn't see it, I only saw him go down."

"He was struck in the back of the head with a baseball. We need to bring him to the medical facility on campus."

Chiyo, anxious and worried, nodded, and they headed toward it at a fast clip.

SSS

His head hurt, and he felt like hell. He wasn't sure what happened, but it felt like he had been hit by a train. Slowly, he let his eyes flutter open, and he was met by the sight of a very worried-looking Ryuuzaki.

"Raito-kun is awake? I have been very worried. Chiyo has as well." Ryuuzaki appeared to be studying him for any signs of discomfort.

"What happened? The last thing I remember is you and I walking, and then blackness."

"Raito-kun was hit in the back of the head by a baseball. He has a concussion and is not allowed to return to classes for three days. Someone must observe him at all times to ensure his wellness. I have already volunteered."

That would explain the pain in the back of his head. Damn, out of classes for three days? The idea of making up all that work was not thrilling. And he would miss the psychology exam and have to make that up, too. AND his perfect attendance was trashed. Well, at least he would have Ryuuzaki with him for three days. He could probably take it easy, too, and enjoy himself. He guessed it wouldn't be all bad.

"Is Raito-kun able to walk? If not, I can carry him to the dorm. After all, I did carry him all the way here." Yes, Ryuuzaki was definitely stronger than he looked. Light stood, and the world wobbled and tilted around him. He grabbed Ryuuzaki for support, and slowly the world returned to normal. He was able to walk, and they left for the dorm. Besides the throbbing in his head, it was pretty normal. And the fact that he kept one hand on Ryuuzaki for balance.

Arriving at the dorm, they stepped inside and shut the door softly behind them. Ryuuzaki settled Light gently on the bed, then went and got him some food and a drink from the kitchen. Hey, having Ryuuzaki wait on him was pretty nice. This concussion was beginning to work out.

Ryuuzaki was being extremely nice to him, as well. No remarks aimed to tease or annoy, and none of his percentages. No mention of his sexuality, either. Oh yeah, this was AWESOME.

SSS

L was being decidedly kind to Light after his accident. He didn't even take any of the numerous opportunities to ruffle his feathers. Truth be told, Ryuuzaki was still worried. After that accident today, he wanted to be absolutely sure Light was ok. When Light was all set with food, a drink, a warm blanket, and some painkillers, L inquired as to whether he'd like something to read. He was happy when Light requested one of his own books, and he fetched it from the bookshelf, handing it over.

He took the time to study Light's collection. He had all of his work, and most of Shakespeare's. He also had Dante's Divine Comedy, and many other classics. Not many modern books besides his, however. He brought the book to Light, and returned to sitting on the bed beside him. Watching him read was fun for L. Watching him at all was fun for L. Now that Light's pain had diminished, L calmed down a bit. He decided he'd rather like a shower.

SSS

"Raito-kun, I'd like to take a shower. Where do you keep the towels?" Light blinked as Ryuuzaki's voice cut into the words on the page.

"They're in the small closet outside the bathroom, Ryuuzaki. Be careful though, the water starts out really hot."

Ryuuzaki nodded, then headed off to take his shower. The sound of the running water was soothing. When it switched off, Light expected Ryuuzaki to take a while to emerge from the bathroom, so he could get dressed and comb his hair. He was mildly surprised when Ryuuzaki stepped right out of the bathroom

His hair was wet, and hung down to frame his face perfectly. He was wearing only a towel draped across his slender hips. Water glistened invitingly on his chest and flat stomach. Light could feel his pants begin to tighten. His eyes went wide. He was attracted to Ryuuzaki. Ahh, crap.

* * *

Yay, Light has finally realized his attraction to L! Ok, today's question: Do you have a favorite word? Mine is perfect. I don't know why, but whenever I hear that word, I picture a delicious vanilla cake, with the frosting all smooth and yummy-looking.


	8. Contact

I am really ready to murder the computer right now. I had this all written and saved, ready to put on FFN, and then the computer saved it wrong and turned it into 127 pages of a line consisted of this: #####^^&*!#$$#444%$^%%#^$#^&$^^%#4^^^$#5$#^&^*%^%#5$#%%%^&%&*$^#%$#% at the top of every page, and then nothingness until the next page. So I had to retype the whole thing. This isn't the original version, because unfortunately that was completely gone. I hope I managed to re-write it the way I wanted it to turn out for you guys.

* * *

Light was sure he was having a breakdown. He couldn't believe he was attracted to Ryuuzaki! He was so thin – but that just gave him a fragile beauty. His eyes were dark, the color of coal, soft, and had a depth behind them that Light had never seen in anyone else. His hair was soft and feathery, the exact shade of raven's wings – ok, he was not helping his own case right now!

And, to top this all off, he was scaring himself because if he stopped to think about it, really _think_ about it, he had feeling for Ryuuzaki. They were there, buried where he hadn't noticed them. He didn't know how this had escaped him before. He hypothesized it was because he had never felt those things before, and had not been expecting to, so he didn't notice as they slowly crept up on him.

The person currently on his mind was somewhere in the dorm, probably in the kitchen eating. Him and his sweets. Light smiled at the though of the odd man. So, he had determined that he was both attracted to Ryuuzaki and had feelings for him. That was a definite. What was not a definite was whether or not he would act on said feelings. He could probably kiss Ryuuzaki and tell him that friends did that, but that wouldn't be right. Plus, he couldn't do anything more than that. Being socially awkward didn't mean that Ryuuzaki wouldn't realize that anything more sexual than a kiss was not something that people who were just friends did. Light was also afraid that acting on his attraction would make Ryuuzaki extremely uncomfortable, and maybe even drive him away. That thought was one that Light couldn't deal with.

He quickly came to the conclusion that having Ryuuzaki as just a friend was far more preferable than not having him at all. So, he wouldn't act on his feelings. For now.

SSS

L was perched delicately on a chair at the kitchen table, savoring the taste and texture of his cake. It was a double fudge cake that Light had picked up for him the day before he had been struck with the baseball. L was very much enjoying it. In the other room, he was fully aware that Light was thinking. The sound of book pages being turned had halted, and Light was prone to drifting into thought for hours on end. L wondered idly what had the other genius buried so deeply inside his own mind.

L was a little worried about their friendship, truth be told, especially after last night. When L had walked out of the shower, Light had gotten and odd look on his face, one that L had never seen him make before. Close of the heels of that look had been a look that was obviously one of 'oh shit!' Light had flipped away from him, and had stayed that way for quite some time. Finally, when whatever had been bothering him subsided, he had flipped back around, but had not been forthcoming with conversation.

L was worried that he had done something to upset Light. He didn't want to ruin their friendship by accidentally angering Light. In the other room, the silence was starting to make him anxious. "Is Raito-kun ok?"

"I'm fine, Ryuuzaki," came Light's quick reply. L stood and strode into the bedroom, looking down at Light. Light's gaze flicked up to meet his.

"Have I done something to anger Raito-kun? He has been very distant this morning and I do not enjoy the prospect that he may be upset with me." Light blinked in surprise.

"I'm not upset with you, Ryuuzaki. I just...I realized something, and I'm spending a lot of time thinking about what I'm going to do about it."

L nodded, slightly soothed, and, picking up his laptop, slid onto the bed next to Light. He made a small noise of surprise when Light leaned over and laid his head on L's shoulder.

"I'm tired, Ryuuzaki. You don't mind if I put my head here, do you?" L shook his head. He found it was rather the opposite. He was enjoying the innocent contact. If Light was tired and wanted to lay his head there, he was more that welcome to.

SSS

So much for not acting on his feelings. When Ryuuzaki had sat on the bed next to him, Light had found it impossible not to lay his head on Ryuuzaki's shoulder. He had been worried that Ryuuzaki's reaction would be less that positive, but that didn't seem to be the case. Actually, he seemed to welcome the gentle contact.

From this position, with his head on Ryuuzaki's shoulder, he realized he could easily peek at what Ryuuzaki was always doing on his laptop. However, Ryuuzaki must have been fully aware of that fact as well, which meant that Light had his full trust. He wasn't about to disregard it.

It was nice, sitting here like this, together, but boredom was slowly setting in. Light had been cooped up in the dorm all day, and he still had one more full day to go after this one. If he was to be stuck in the dorm like this all day today and tomorrow, he wanted something to read.

"Hey, Ryuuzaki, would you mind going to the library? I'd really like to get something to read, because I'm going to be stuck in here for a while."

"Of course, Raito-kun. Can you walk on your own?" It seemed that Ryuuzaki realized just how intense boredom could be for Light when he had nothing to do, being as how he was a genius too. After a quick test in the dorm, it was determined that yes, Light could walk on his own. They left the dorm and headed towards the library, studiously avoiding passing by the ballfields.

Light was taken aback by the sheer size of this building. It was immense. He had been in here before, of course, but the fact that so much knowledge was in this place struck him every time he entered it. Him and Ryuuzaki parted ways at the entrance. Light made his way down the winding corridors that housed shelves brimmed with books. He could see why Ryuuzaki loved this place so much.

Whenever Light saw a book that interested him, he simply pulled it off the shelf and read it. He passed what must have been three hours in this way. Finally, he collected a stack of books he wanted to take with him, and checked them out quickly. That task done, he set off to find Ryuuzaki. He had a feeling he knew just where he'd be.

He made his way to the second floor and over to the balcony where he had first met Ryuuzaki. It was just like deja vu. There he was, perched oddly in his chair, typing rapidly in his laptop. This time, Light hoped he wouldn't have to make a mad dash over and duck under the table. Suddenly the image of himself under the table, Ryuuzaki with his legs parted while Light played with a certain part of his anatomy, flashed across his mind. Bad Light! No naughty thoughts in the library.

Light smirked and slowly crept up to the table. He lunged forward with no warning, grabbing Ryuuzaki around the table. He yelped in surprise and whirled around. Ryuuzaki shot Light an exasperated look. "Must you amuse yourself by startling me, Raito-kun?"

Light grinned. "I thought it would be fun, and it was. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I'm ready to leave when you are, Ryuuzaki." Ryuuzaki nodded, then returned to typing. Light settled into the chair across from him and grabbed one of his books from the stack he had collected to read.

SSS

L was content. It was nice, to sit like this with Light with no conversation needed. The two geniuses were happy to just be in one another's presence. That was enough. L never felt the urge to hide who he was around Light. He could expose all his unusual quirks and his social awkwardness and not feel the threat of being ridiculed. Just for that, he was grateful to his friend.

But friendship was not all he was sure he was feeling for Light. He decided it was time to turn to the one thing that had always aided him in these types of situations: research. He saved and exited his book, pulling up a web browser and entering his search key. He clicked on the first link he saw, and his face flushed a light pink. Interesting, the way two men had intercourse. That was not what he had been looking for. Still, looking at this, he realized that he wanted to do these things with Light. Very much so. Now he was certain he was feeling more that just friendship for Light. Friends did not do those types of things with each other.

Lovers did. Did that then mean that he wanted Light to be his lover? Did he...love Light? It was possible. Actually, there was a ninety-six percent chance that he did indeed love Light. Those odds were stacked highly in one direction. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Finally, he posed the question to himself, very un-clinically and on a very person level. Did he love Light?

Yes. He did. He loved Light. The feeling was...spectacular. Secure in the knowledge that he loved Light, he delved into research about what two men could do together. He wasn't sure that Light would ever permit such activities, but, in case Light did one day give his consent, L wanted to be fully prepared. He concluded that it would be in his best interest to get a bottle of lubricant stashed in the dorm (somewhere Light wouldn't look, of course) as quickly as possible.

SSS

"Raito-kun, there are many teachers and staff in the library who could assist you if trouble arose due to your concussion, and I have urgent business to attend to. Would it be already if I departed momentarily?" Light looked up from his book at the sound of Ryuuzaki's voice.

"Of course, Ryuuzaki, do what you need to do." Ryuuzaki nodded and, snatching up his laptop, hurried away. Light wondered what he had to do. It must be important to make him take off like that. Of course, now that he wasn't around, it gave Light some time to reconsider his earlier decision.

Obviously just suppressing his urges wasn't going to work. Still, he could not just force himself on Ryuuzaki. That would risk driving him away. That was a risk Light was not willing to take. He needed Ryuuzaki around, he was quickly realizing. His life had been so boring before they met. All classes and work and mechanical actions. With Ryuuzaki, he had to think and exercise his brain constantly, a feeling that he liked. He had someone to have verbal sparring matches with who wasn't as easy to bowl over as a piece of paper.

So that left only one option: he had to take an approach that was in-between. While he couldn't force himself directly on Ryuuzaki, he could surely hint at it and slowly test the waters. Perhaps he'd even let Ryuuzaki make the first move. He wasn't sure that that would actually happen, but if it did, it would take all the guess-work out of it. If Ryuuzaki initiated it, obviously he would have to want it too.

Satisfied with having finally worked out what he would do about the situation, he stretched and tucked his books under his arm. Time to head back to the dorm.

SSS

L was in a panicked flurry. He had made a trip to the nearest drugstore and had purchased a bottle of lubricant, but now he had no idea where to put it. He didn't dare put it in any of the dresser drawers, as they were accessed far too frequently. He briefly considered putting it in the cabinets in the kitchen that contained all his sweets, but dismissed that idea as well. Light got in there to restock for L, and L was sure he'd find it eventually. Suddenly, and idea occurred to him. A smile broke out over his face. It was so cliché, and because it was so cliché, Light would never look there. L quickly stashed the lube...under the mattress of Light's bed. Happy with the hiding place, he decided it was time to retrieve Light.

Walking down the path to the library, he ran over the emotion of love in his mind. It was an odd thing. It was pure and sweet, and was the most amazing thing he had ever felt. It led to happiness, and to desire. But it also led to negative emotions, did it not? Jealously and possessiveness. Extreme sorrow and pain if the loved one was lost. But the good seemed to overpower the bad. L was genuinely happy that he loved Light.

He was rather surprised when he ran into Light on the path. "Raito-kun should not have left the library alone," he chastised gently. "He could have had something bad happen to him related to the concussion, and no one would have been around to help. He should have waited for me to return, or contacted Chiyo to escort him home. Or even Misa would be preferable to him walking alone."

"Ugh, no she wouldn't, Ryuuzaki. Besides, look, there are students everywhere who could have helped had something happened. You left me in the library."

"I left Raito-kun in the library with staff. I do not trust the students to take care of him." L was adamant about this point. He realized it was probably the intensity of his feelings for Light that made him feel this way, but he didn't care.

"Ok Ryuuzaki, next time I'll contact Chiyo. Feel better?"

"Much," L answered honestly. Light looked at him curiously. Obviously L's last answer had caught his attention. L hoped he wasn't giving himself away.

"Now that I've met your demands, can we go home, Ryuuzaki? I'm finding that the trip to the library tired me out."

"Of course, Raito-kun."

SSS

Light took his time after his shower to get all dried off and dressed in the bathroom because, unlike _some people_, he did not walk out of the bathroom all wet and arousing after a shower. When he was completely ready for bed, he left the bathroom and entered his bedroom. There, he found Ryuuzaki in his bed. That was helping his attraction issue. Nothing better to switch the hormones off like walking into your room and finding the person you most want in your bed.

Sighing, Light slipped under the covers and tried to sleep, but failed. Just as the last time Ryuuzaki was in his bed, he found he couldn't sleep. The raven's even breathing gave away the fact that he had found the sleep that so eluded him. Just when he resigned himself to a sleepless night, he felt the heat from Ryuuzaki seep into his back. He made a small sound of surprise and Ryuuzaki snuggled up to him.

In his sleep, Ryuuzaki had moved over to Light's side of the bed and was currently wrapping himself around Light. Soon, Light found that his eyes were flickering shut. He gave in to sleep's spell with Ryuuzaki curled protectively around him.

* * *

Ok, so they realize they love each other! Yay! So, time for a vote: should the next chapter be the first chapter that contains a lemon? I can either do:

a.) A chapter that covers the last day that Light needs to be escorted around by people. He and L will continue to battle with their feelings, but there won't be a lemon

b.) Lemon chapter! I will attempt, emphasis on attempt as it will be the first time I've ever done it, to write a lemon.

Ok, vote! However the vote turns out, I'll start the chapter tomorrow.


	9. L

The vote came back mixed, so I'm going to not do either option! Consider this chapter option C. The name should give you a hint of what will happen.

* * *

Light was bored out of his mind. Ryuuzaki had woken up before he had, so he had no idea what his reaction to finding himself pretty much on top of Light was. This was his last day of confinement, and he couldn't wait until tomorrow, which would be Wednesday and his day off from classes. Being with Ryuuzaki for three days straight was testing his resolve. Maybe a chat with Chiyo would help. He could hint at what was bugging him without coming right out and saying it, and ask her subtly for advice.

Pulling out his cell phone (the wallpaper was an L insignia), he sent her a quick text. Her reply was almost instant. She'd come meet him at the dorm and they'd go do something. "Ryuuzaki! I'm going out with Chiyo for a while! I'll be back later!" A muffled 'ok' was the reply, and Light quickly ducked outside to wait for Chiyo.

When she arrived, they quickly made plans to grab a bite to eat at the small restaurant just off campus. It was usually pretty quiet, and was a good place to talk. The walk there was taken in a comfortable silence. Neither one seemed inclined to break it. Chiyo kept glancing at him from the corner of her eye, checking that he was ok.

Once at the restaurant, they seated themselves and ordered. Chiyo was patiently waiting for Light to explain why he had invited her here. "I'm attracted to Ryuuzaki," he blurted suddenly. Oh yeah, so subtle and discreet. Chiyo blinked twice, before bursting out laughing.

"Oh my god, he was right! You are gay!" Light made a noise of protest.

"Not gay. I'm only attracted to Ryuuzaki, not all boys." Chiyo grinned.

"Ok, so you're Ryuuzaki-sexual. What's the issue?" Ryuuzaki-sexual? Light pondered that for a moment.

"I don't want to spring this on him. You've seen how he doesn't like to be around people. I don't want to accidentally drive him away by just, well, forcing it on him."

Chiyo looked thoughtful. "What if he liked you too? It seems like maybe he does. He hangs out only with you, doesn't try to hide anything about himself from you, and practically lives with you. He's got to like you at least somewhat to spend all that time with you."

"That could be attributed to the fact that I'm his first and only friend, and he doesn't realize that normally people who are just friends don't spend the extreme amount of time we do together on a regular basis."

"Or he likes you," Chiyo inserted.

"Fine. Or he likes me," Light conceded. "But he still might not. That means that I really can't do anything about this."

Chiyo looked incredulous. "Ok, you are so not used to dating someone you actually like, are you? Do you think that every high school kid who asks someone out knows for sure that that person likes them back? Just ask. What's the worst that could happen? It could be a little awkward between you two for a while, but nothing serious."

Light shook his head. "Honestly, I don't think I could take it if he rejected me. Truth is, I think I have feelings for him."

"Really? Ok, that does complicate it a bit. I guess you're going to just have to feel the situation out and do what you think you should do."

Light nodded, and they ate their meal through a haze of idle chatter.

SSS

L was sipping tea serenely in the coffee shop. The waitress had remarked that it was odd that he was alone, and had inquired as to where his usual counterpart was. He had explained that he was out with a girl, and she had seemed a bit surprised. She had further inquired as to whether this girl was his girlfriend, and L had said that she was his friend who was a girl. She had accepted that easier than if Chiyo was his girlfriend. Must be a numerous amount of people thought that they were a gay couple.

That would be nice if it was true. But unfortunately, it was not. Still, it would be impossible, L had realized, unless Light knew who he really was. He had given Light his full trust. Light had not once attempted to see what he was doing on his laptop, and had even prevented Chiyo from doing so, even though she most certainly would have told him had she found out. Light had been very kind to him, even going so far as to let L practically move it with him and had stocked his kitchen specifically for him. And L loved him.

It was time. L needed to reveal his identity to Light.

SSS

Light and Chiyo were laughing together as they headed back to the dorm. They had had a great time after Light had gotten her advice. It had been nice to spend some time with her, because, as of late, all his time had been devoted to Ryuuzaki. His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he jumped. Pulling it out, he saw that Ryuuzaki had sent him a message from his laptop.

**Meet me at the coffee shop. Bring your favorite book.**

**-Ryuuzaki**

Typical Ryuuzaki. No explanation as to why he was meeting him. He asked Chiyo if she would be willing to escort him to the coffee shop. She agreed, and, after a quick dash into the dorm to get Poison Apple, they were on their way.

Chiyo dropped him at the door, wishing him luck, and left. Light made his way easily inside, and the waitress smiled and greeted him. He grinned back and returned the greeting, sitting down with Ryuuzaki at their usual table.

"So what's up, Ryuuzaki?" Ryuuzaki shook his head. He looked exceedingly nervous. "Are you ok?" Light was a bit worried.

Ryuuzaki simply made a 'give it to me' motion, and Light, quickly catching on, passed him his copy of Poison Apple. Ryuuzaki pulled a black sharpie from his pocket, and opened up to the front cover of Light's book. Light was fighting the urge to tell him to, ON NO CIRCUMSTANCES, write in his book, but he held back. Obviously this was important.

In Ryuuzaki's grasp, the sharpie glided over the page in one fluid movement. He delicately closed the book and passed it back to Light. Light, curious, opened the book and gasped.

There, on the inside of the front cover, was a smooth, flawless archaic L. It was the same as all the other signatures that had surfaced, in the perfect delicate handwriting of someone who probably knew calligraphy. For a long time, Light could only stare at the Ryuuzaki. When he was able to speak, it was far from eloquent. "I...what?"

Ryuuzaki just stood and took hold of Light's hand, leading him out of the coffee shop. Light couldn't help but blush. Ryuuzaki – or was it L? - led him back to his dorm and shut the door behind him.

"L?" Light asked tentatively. L smiled and nodded.

"That is correct Raito-kun. I am indeed L. I felt that it was time to reveal to you my true identity. I hope I can trust you with this information." Light nodded, still a bit shocked. It was all clicking into place in his mind. Ryuuzaki's mysterious tendencies, the constant typing on the laptop, the money. It made sense. Plus, the perfect L in his book. He'd never believe Ryuuzaki was L if it wasn't for that L. "May I borrow your copy of Poison Apple, Raito-kun?" Light obediently handed it over. "Please show me your favorite part." Light opened the book quickly and easily to a well - worn chapter that was obviously read much more often than the rest of the book.

And then L began to read it to him. It was amazing. He was hearing the story exactly as the author had intended it be read. L's soft voice made the words seem to flow together in a brilliant symphony. Light was riveted to the spot. He couldn't believe that his friend slash secret crush was L, and that, furthermore, L was reading him his favorite chapter of his favorite book.

Light was getting to understand the book the exact way it was meant to be understood. The time seemed to slide endlessly by. When the chapter was finished, L snapped the book shut decisively and set it gently on the bed.

"There. Now Raito-kun has a signed copy of his favorite book, and perhaps he better understands his favorite chapter." L waited patiently for a reply, but was met only with silence. "Raito-kun?" Light couldn't help it. He lunged forward – and kissed him.

L stood stone still for one second, and then he was fervently kissing him back. Light was being backed slowly up against the wall, but he didn't care. Light made a noise of surprise when L's tongue probed gently at his lips, before obediently parting them. It swept gently into Light's mouth and began familiarizing itself with the moist cavern. Light felt his back make contact with the wall. He had never expected this kind of domination from L. L broke the kiss suddenly and trailed his lips down Light's jaw to his throat.

"Ahh, L!" Light moaned. "What the hell Ryuuzaki, I thought you'd never done this before," he managed.

L smirked. "I haven't. Research is a wonderful thing, Raito-kun." He let his teeth sink into Light's neck, then soothed the bite with a gentle kiss. Light yelped at the slight pain, but quickly recovered.

A knock at the door startled them both. They jumped apart like guilty teenagers. Light cleared his throat. "I guess I'll get the door." It was all he could think of to say. L nodded and slunk back into the kitchen. He still didn't like to hang out with all of Light's friends. Usually only Chiyo.

Light flung open the door, prepared to tell whoever it was to go the hell away, he was busy, and his mouth almost, almost, dropped open. But he was better than that. How the hell did Misa know where he lived?

"Light, Misa has been looking for you all day! No one would tell Misa where you lived, so it was hard to find you!" Her gaze strayed to Light's neck. Her face contorted as she saw the bite L had left. "What...what did you do!? Do you have a girlfriend? How could you choose another girl over Misa?"

Light sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He did not need this. "No, Misa, I do not have a girlfriend."

Her eyes narrowed. "So you were just screwing around with a girl?" Wow, she could get catty, couldn't she?

"No, I was not 'screwing around' with a girl, Misa. I actually have something I need to take care of, so -"

"You ARE gay, then? If it wasn't a girl, it was a boy."

"Ok, yes, it was a boy. Now, please, I have something I need to do." Light really wished he hadn't said that. Misa would probably tell all her friends that he was gay, which wasn't actually the truth.

Misa looked...ok with that? "As long as it wasn't another girl, Misa doesn't mind. Misa will be Light's only girl! If you're busy, Misa will leave." She flounced back out the door. Light just did not get that girl. The boy she liked had just made out with another guy, and as long as it wasn't another girl, it was ok?

L reappeared from the kitchen, smirking. "That was NOT funny, Ryuuzaki."

"Call me L in private, Raito-kun. Now, would Raito-kun like to read what I have been doing all this time on my laptop? It is nearly completed." Light shook his head yes in a very vigorous fashion. If L was going to let him be the first to read his new book, who was he to turn it down?

SSS

L handed his laptop over easily. He was eager to get Light's reaction to his newest work, and see if he would realize what L had: that the two characters in the books were portraits of them both. He was also ecstatic. He couldn't believe that Light had allowed L to kiss him, and had in fact initiated the kiss. He was rather enjoying the bite mark that he had left on Light's neck. Tomorrow, it would be swollen and a nice shade of red. It was as if L had marked Light as his.

He watched as Light read, observing the expressions that flitted over his face as he did so. When Light was done reading they would, of course, have to work out the details of their relationship, but, until then, L was content to just observe.

About an hour later, Light looked up from the laptop. "It's great. They're..us." L nodded, happy that Light had understood.

"Raito-kun's mental celerity is a refreshing change from most of the other students'. Yes, they are us." Light smiled.

"They make a good couple."

L nodded. "Indeed they do. Are we...a couple?" He asked tentatively.

Light looked at him, incredulous. "Of course we are, L. I wouldn't kiss someone I didn't like. If you agree, then yes, we are a couple."

L grinned. "Raito-kun is my boyfriend. I rather enjoy that thought." Light smiled. L was cute when he was like this.

SSS

Light felt almost weightless the next day. He was happier than he thought he had ever been. He and L were a couple. It was...well, fantastic. The bite on his neck was a little tender, but, all told, it was the best he had ever felt.

In Advanced Psychology, Chiyo slid into the seat next to him, and a grin spread over her face. She poked at his mark. Light winced and glared.

"I take it it went well when you told him you liked him?" She inquired.

"I didn't actually tell him. I sort of just kissed him, and he kissed back."

"And played with your neck. Well, at least it worked out. Told you it would. Why did you kiss him?"

Light paused. He wasn't allowed to tell Chiyo that Ryuuzaki was L, he was sure. Maybe he could with L's permission, but not without asking him first. "Well, let's just say I can't tell you what led up to it, but there was this awesome moment and I just kissed him."

Chiyo accepted his half-explanation without prying. "So, you guys do anything _else_?" She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Light shook his head. "No. Misa of all people came knocking on my door, and we behaved ourselves when it was time for bed. He didn't even sleep last night, so it's not like I was resisting the urge to jump him while he was in bed with me."

Chiyo blinked. "He sleeps in bed with you?"

"Yeah. Anyway, point being we didn't do anything more." Chiyo nodded, and they returned to the lesson.

Not that Light was listening, though. He was too preoccupied with thoughts of L.

* * *

Ok, so, good? Bad? How was the kiss scene? It's the first time I've ever written one. Today's question: favorite color? Purple all the way over here.


	10. Complete

Hooray I got new glasses today!! And I got my L outfit, for when my friends and I cosplay as L, Light, and Near, completely planned out. As well as a little added detail that she doesn't know I'm attending to! Plus I walked into a glass door. That was not as fun as the other things...I'm so so sorry for the update delay!! The holidays just kept me really busy. Also, no lemon in here...maybe next chapter? Some kissing, though ^.^

* * *

Light was only mildly surprised when, during his last class, L slid into the seat next to him. Of course he had his laptop with him, because, well, why wouldn't he? The professor looked up quickly at the intrusion, then returned to the lesson. L really did have permission to be anywhere on campus at any time. The dean must really value his presence here.

"What are you doing here, Ryuuzaki?" Light asked lowly, careful to use L's alias in case someone should overhear.

"It appears that I have serious writer's block today. I thought that perhaps being in Raito-kun's presence would help." Light smiled.

"May I look at what you have so far?"

"Of course. However, as I have already stated, I have had writer's block all day and haven't gotten much written." L passed Light the laptop. The professor pretended he didn't see this going on.

"Do the teachers know who you really are?" Light inquired.

"No. They simply know that I am allowed anywhere at any time, and that they are not to interfere with what I am doing, which is why you are not being chastised right now." Light nodded, accepting the explanation easily. He studied the work-in-progress carefully.

"Ryuuzaki, you've set them up perfectly for this scene earlier in the book. See, look?" Light scrolled up and pointed out what he meant. "So, you should have them...oh, just hold on a second." Light quickly added a paragraph to the document and passed it back to L. L studied it carefully.

"You are right, Raito-kun. That is perfect for this situation. Thank you." L's fingers began to traverse his keyboard, writer's block averted. Light smiled and returned his focus to the lesson. No sense in letting his average drop because he had assisted L in writing a book...wait. He HAD just helped L write a book, hadn't he? This day was getting better and better.

SSS

It was odd, how Light's presence made writing this book easier. And how Light could jump right into writing his book, add a paragraph, and not disturb the flow of the book at all. In fact, he had written the perfect scene. It seemed that Light had some writing talent. Interesting.

His book was inching closer to completion, well before the date that he had set for himself. He would have to contact his editor and tell him so. In fact, his editor was the last of three people who knew his true identity. Light, his editor, and the dean. His trusted trio. Hmm. He wondered if Light would be willing to do the reading at the release party for his book. Usually his editor did it, but if Light did it, L would have total control over what sections of the book were read and how. Plus, he had a feeling Light would enjoy doing it. Something to ask him.

L was a bit startled when Light suddenly rose from his seat and began to leave. "Ryuuzaki! You coming?" Apparently class was over. L rose and followed Light outside. There, Light was suddenly surrounded by his friends. They all glanced subtly at his neck, then looked back up. L attempted to shrink away, but Light caught his arm and held him still. When L stopped making movements like he was trying to escape, Light let him go. L stayed, but didn't enjoy it. He would have rather slunk off until they left.

They looked at him curiously until Light made the customary introductions, and they all politely said hello. L returned the greetings a bit stiffly. Finally, they left for wherever they needed to be, and he was alone with Light.

"See, L? That wasn't so bad. No one tried to kill you. My friends don't bite. Unlike you."

"I still prefer avoiding people, Raito-kun. I should like to keep my friend base down to you, Chiyo, and the waitress at the coffee shop for now." Light shrugged.

"Well, they know you now, so at least when I tell them we're dating, they'll know who I'm talking about." L blinked.

"You will...tell them we're dating?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I? It's not like they'll disown me. A couple of them are gay, anyway. I hang out with open-minded people." L nodded. Still, he hadn't expected Light to tell people they were dating. Although likely Misa would be telling people about the mark on his neck. Of course, she could just as easily be telling people she made the mark. L found that that thought made him rather angry. Suddenly he was glad that Light would be telling people.

SSS

The coffee shop was nice and quiet right after classes had released. Everyone was busy doing homework, which Light had been excused from in all his classes due to his perfect 100 average, or some after-classes activity. Which meant it was the perfect time for L and Light to get their daily cup of coffee and tea. The waitress walked over and said hello. Light smiled back and easily ordered for both of them.

"When exactly will Raito-kun be telling people that we are dating?" L asked. Light sent him a curious look.

"Why do you ask, Ryuuzaki?"

"It has occurred to me that Misa may be telling people that she is the one who made the mark on your neck."

The look on Light's face was priceless. "In lieu of that idea, immediately." L smiled happily, and, leaning over the table, stole a chaste kiss from Light. A sound of happy surprise came from behind them. They turned to find the waitress watching them.

"You two finally got together! That's great. We all knew you would."

Light grinned. "We?"

"Oh, the whole staff here. We had a bet going as to how long it would take before you both realized that you liked each other. Unfortunately, we all bet too early. Apparently you guys are pretty oblivious."

Light laughed. "I guess we are. Actually, I think you are the first person besides us to know about this."

The waitress smiled. "You should remedy that situation." Light nodded. He whole-heartedly agreed.

After they had finished at the coffee shop, Light began to concoct and idea as to how he'd let people know that he and L were dating. He didn't much like the idea of walking up to his friends and just announcing it. Because that wouldn't be awkward. 'Hey guys, guess what? I know you're probably all under the impression that I'm exclusively straight, but I'm not! And on top of that, you know that guy Ryuuzaki I introduced you to today? Yeah, we're totally together!' Not what he considered fun.

As they neared the center of campus, Light decided that the easiest way would be to just kiss L quickly with other people around. Of course, he wouldn't make it obvious that he was trying to show they were dating. He'd take him over to the tree that was just out of view enough for people to see, but make it look like Light was trying for some privacy. Perfect.

He grabbed L's hand (another good way to show they were dating, if anyone was watching) and pulled him over to the tree. He came easily, not putting up much of a fight.

"What are we doing, Raito-kun?" He asked, curious.

"I want people to know we're dating, and this is the easiest way. Kiss me." L did not have to be told twice. He quickly lowered his head and captured Light's lips. He smirked as Light tried to gain control of the situation. He would not have that. L swiftly forced his tongue into Light's mouth and pinned him up against the tree. This degree of making out was not what Light had had in mind. He was sure people were staring at them, but, with L this close, he couldn't bring himself to care. His tongue began to battle with L's, and, when they finally broke the kiss, it was only for lack of air. Light rested his forehead gently against L's, and smirked when he saw a group of girls watching them, practically drooling. He chuckled. Fangirls.

After a few seconds of catching their breath, L and Light pulled away from the tree and started back to the dorm. The students were already spreading the news that he was dating L, Light was sure. Well, that WAS what he had wanted. The making out was just a bonus.

Returning to the dorm, Light shed his jacket and tie and collapsed on the bed. L simply strode over to the desk and opened his laptop. The sound of typing filled the room. Light smiled. He wasn't sure he could ever feel at home without that sound in the background. He was growing very accustomed to L's presence in his life. Since L had already basically moved in with him, they had already taken that important step in the relationship.

Content, Light reached for the nearest book he could grab and decided to test L's knowledge. Opening it up to a random page, he began to read. "He was different from his brothers and sisters. Their hair already betrayed the reddish hue inherited from their mother, the she-wolf; while he alone, in this particular, took after his father."

"White Fang by Jack London. A good choice, Raito-kun. I rather enjoy that book myself. It turns out well for the wolf." Light should have known he'd know the book by two sentences. Stretching, he rolled off the bed.

"I'm going to take a shower, L." L nodded in response and Light made his way to the bathroom, grabbing his sleep clothes and a towel on the way.

Turning on the shower, he waited for its initial extreme heat to play itself out before he stepped inside. The hot water was relaxing, and soon he found himself leaning against the shower wall with his eyes closed, listening to the water bounce off the walls and floor. It was peaceful, and he allowed his mind to wander. He was contemplating something that had been bothering him lately. Soon, the semester of college would be over, and he would no longer live on campus. He didn't know what he would do about that. It was a scary thought, because if he no longer lived on campus, he no longer lived near L.

He sighed, and, after scrubbing thoroughly and shampooing his hair, he switched off the water. Stepping out of the shower, he realized he'd eventually have to bring up this subject with L. He hoped he didn't react too badly.

SSS

L was actually, for once, excited. He was typing the last word of the last sentence of the last chapter of his book. He loved the feeling of finishing a book. It gave him a sense of satisfaction that he usually didn't get to experience on a regular basis. Finally, he grinned to himself. This next bit would be a surprise to Light. He scrolled all the way to the beginning of the book, and added a page ahead of the title page. Quickly, he typed a single sentence that he couldn't wait for Light to discover.

Which wouldn't take too long. The second his editor got a hold of this book, he would have it ready to publish almost overnight. Thus was the power of L's fame. They wouldn't waste time going over the book to pick out errors, as they had quickly learned that L never made any.

L looked up as Light came out of the bathroom, already dressed and ready for bed.  
"Why did you stop typing?" Light asked.

L smiled. "I finished it. Would you like to read the ending?" Light nodded and walked over to the desk, waiting for L to get up and out of the chair so he could sit down to read. When he didn't, Light simply forcefully pulled L's legs out of their usual position and sat in L's lap.

L made a surprised sound, but didn't fight the action. Actually, it was rather nice to have Light in his lap. He watched over Light's shoulder as he read, waiting for him to finish. Finally, Light reached the last page. "It's a great book, L. Actually, I'd like to reread it." He began scrolling the document back up, but L caught his hand.

Light glanced at him curiously. "Raito-kun will spoil the surprise if he scrolls all the way up. He'll just have to wait until the book is released to reread it. It will only take about a week for them to get it ready."

"And how, exactly, do they do it that fast?"

"They do not bother going over it to look for mistakes. I never make any. Instead, the send it right into production. In about a week, they'll have enough books made to release it. Actually, that is another thing I'd like to ask Raito-kun about."

"I'm listening."

"I'd...like it if Raito-kun would do something for me." L paused, gaging Light's reaction. He was simply looking at him, waiting for the request. "Would Raito-kun be willing to do the book reading at the release party? I usually have my editor do it, but sometimes he switches out the section I want read with another section. It is very annoying. I trust that Raito-kun could read it well and would read what I tell him to."

Light was stunned. "You...want me to do a reading at the release? Of course! I've always wanted to attend one of the parties, but the invitations are so hard to get – and to be able to do the reading? That's fantastic!" L smiled. Light was his own personal fanboy sometimes.

"That is wonderful, Raito-kun. I'll pick out the section I want you to read so you can begin practicing."

Light nodded. "Actually, L, there's something I need to talk to you about. I was thinking about it in the shower." L blinked, curious. "The semester will be ending soon, which means that I won't live on campus anymore."

L looked startled. "Where will Raito-kun live?"

"I might have to go live with my parents until the next semester starts. So, Japan."

L shook his head, refusing to allow that to happen. "Raito-kun may not go back to Japan without me. As he is in need of a place to live, he will simply have to move into my house with me."

"Did you just ask me to move in with you, in your mansion?"

"I did. Well, I did not ask, per say, because Raito-kun has no choice. He will be moving in with me." L was not letting Light move across the world to a different country. He would have to move in with him. It was the only logical choice. Plus, L had been meaning to move into his house for a while, and this gave him some incentive, as he would not be moving in alone.

"Ok, L. I guess I could come live with you. But I get to do some of the decorating. You can't do the whole house."

"Agreed. Now, shall we go to bed? You look tired." Light nodded. L quickly sent his book off to his editor via email and clambered into the bed after Light. Tonight, the snuggling was anything but accidental.

* * *

Again, so sorry about the slow update. I hope this chapter was good enough to make up for it? Question for this time: Favorite book? Mine's White Fang. I couldn't resist putting it into the story.


	11. Move

Ok, ok, I'm sorry! I've been a bad updater! I have three excuses:

1)Finals are coming. This is my best excuse.

2)DN Angel. Got addicted. Can't stop watching.

3)We switched to DSL. The computer that I use to get online was down for a while, plus it has been moved to the kitchen, which does not make reading yaoi secretly easy.

So anyway, here's the next chapter. Banana-chan beware. I bet you know why. Just thought I'd give you a quick warning.

* * *

"L," Light huffed, "couldn't you have just hired people to do this?"

"Yes. But that would take the fun out of it."

"Oh yeah. Fun for you, maybe, because I'M carrying most of the weight. Damn, this couch weighs a ton!" Light glared at L as they carried said couch to what was to be the living room in L's mansion. Well, maybe _they_ was too strong a word. It was Light who was pretty much carrying the couch. He let out a sigh of relief when they got it into the proper position and set it down.

L smiled. "Now that we have the couch and chairs set up here, all we have to do is get the rest of the rooms ready."

Light groaned. "L, you are aware that you have over 40 rooms, right?" L smiled again and nodded.

"Yes. But we will not do them all at once. Perhaps today we'll just do the kitchen and bedroom, as the bathrooms are already furnished."

Light's glare had turned to death mode. He reached into L's pocket and pulled out his phone, handing it rather forcefully to L. "Call. Someone. I'm not doing the kitchen, at least. Not with all the appliances."

L sighed. "Raito-kun is no fun." Still, he did as requested and dialed a company to come move the necessary things into the kitchen. Then he quickly snapped his phone shut. "Raito-kun has officially ruined my surprise."

"What surprise?"

"After we did the kitchen, I was going to surprise him with the fact that the bedroom is already done." What he didn't say was that he had already transferred a certain bottle from under Light's mattress to under the new one. "I'll have to show him later. For now, we had best leave so that we aren't in the way when the movers arrive."

SSS

L was quite eager to show Light both of his surprises, the one contained in the book, and the bedroom. The bedroom had been quite an affair to arrange. But, L thought that it had turned out beautifully, so it was worth it.

Right now, however, they were out on his lawn, making their way toward the lake that was on his property. The geese were still in residence, and he watched them skim across the surface. They were very elegant and graceful. Light's voice brought him out of his reverie.

"Hey L, would it be ok if I invited Chiyo over? She knows I'm moving, but not to where." L nodded.

"That will be fine, Raito-kun. I do not mind if she knows where I live."

"Would it be ok...if I told her you're L?" Light asked tentatively.

L shot him a sharp look. "Do you think she would keep it a secret? You must be positive, Raito-kun. I do not want my identity getting out."

"She would. She better. If she doesn't, I'll-"

"No need to make threats that perhaps aren't so idle, Raito-kun. You may tell her if you believe she will keep it secret."

Light nodded, and pulled out his own phone. He rapidly began typing a text to Chiyo, no doubt giving her the directions to the mansion. L was a bit wary of a fourth person knowing who he really was.

"Perhaps Raito-kun can hint at who I am, but not actually say it. That way, she will not be able to completely confirm who I am, but she will assume..."

Light nodded. "I understand. I'll never blatantly tell her you're L. I'll just guide her in that direction."

"Good." L was really not sure why he let Light do these things. Most likely because L loved him and it made him happy. Sighing lowly, he settled onto the grass at the edge of the lake, sitting in his usual position, and let his feet sink under the water. Light settled down beside him, their shoulders touching. It was good to have someone to be with.

SSS

Light was inexplicably happy. He supposed being with the person you loved could do that to you. Even if the person you loved made you move a gigantic couch. Light briefly wondered what would have happened if he had never met L, then rapidly shoved the thought out of his head. He didn't want to think about that.

Slowly, he turned his head to find L staring at him. He smiled, and brought their lips together for a gentle, chaste kiss. A shrill squeak could be heard from the sidelines. Rolling his eyes, Light looked up.

"I don't appreciate the sound effects, Chiyo."

She grinned. "But you two are so cute! I heard from some people that you were kissing on campus, so I knew you wanted people to know, and I was mad I missed it. You should have called me!"

Light sighed. "Ok, next time I plan to make out with Ryuuzaki, I'll give you a call. Anyway, what do you think of the house?"

Chiyo turned to look at it. "Impressive, Ryuuzaki. That has to have at least forty rooms. How do you afford it?"

L turned to look at Light. They both stood up. "Well, Chiyo, I was actually going to tell you that, but I had to get permission from Ryuuzaki first."

Chiyo looked at Light curiously. "He's a famous author." She looked at weirdly. "A very famous author." Still just staring at him. "A very famous author whom I like A LOT."

Comprehension dawned on her face. "Oh. OH. Omigod. You're not serious." She turned to regard L. "Is he serious?" L nodded slowly. "Ok, wow. I won't tell anyone, I promise."

Light nodded. "Good. You really have to keep it a secret."

Chiyo grinned. "No wonder he likes you so much," she said to L. "He was bound to be attracted to someone at some point, and of course it would be you. He lucked out."

L smiled. "Yes, I suppose. However, for a while I was convinced that he was in fact asexual. I am glad that I now know that to be false."

Chiyo laughed. "Yep, he's not asexual. He's Ryuuzaki-sexual." L grinned.

Light cleared his throat. "Ok, are we done talking about me like I'm elsewhere? Yes? Good. Chiyo, don't you actually have a date in an hour tonight?"

Chiyo's eyes widened. "Crap! Yes! I have to go! Light, thanks for reminding me." She practically sprinted over to her car.

Light grinned. "I love it when she forgets things."

L looked at him. "Raito-kun appears to have a bit of a sadistic streak."

"I do not. She just teases me so often, it's good to get her back."

"...Ryuuzaki-sexual?"

"Well, I'm not gay, entirely. I'm not attracted to anyone but you. So that's what she calls it. Actually, that's a good example of what I was just saying."

L grinned. "I would not call it Ryuuzaki-sexual. I would call it L-sexual. Raito-kun was so obsessed with my work, he was bound to like me." L's face clouded over for a moment. "That isn't why Raito-kun likes me, is it? Not just because I am L?"

Light shot him a flat look. "Considering I didn't even know you were L until recently, I'm going to say that it's a safe bet that that is NOT why I...like you." For some reason, Light couldn't seem to say _love_ instead of _like_. Not right at this moment, anyway. Maybe it was because he wasn't sure if L loved him back? He was fairly sure, but still, he'd like to be positive first.

"Good," L replied. "I wouldn't like it if Raito-kun only liked me because of my name and what it stands for."

Light nodded. "No, I like you for you, so, unfortunately, you're stuck with me."

L smiled slightly. "I'm glad. Now, I believe that the first copy of my book should be arriving today. Raito-kun can have it, if he wishes. I'll even sign it."

Light laughed. "I don't need it signed if I have the real L. Actually, you never told me what section you want me to read."

"I was thinking that Raito-kun could help me pick it out, since he inspired the whole book. Without Raito-kun, there would be no second character, and no love story in the book. My editor was very happy that the book finally had a second character. He said that it would help attract new readers, and that my old fans would probably appreciate the change of pace. Plus Raito-kun helped me by writing out a paragraph. The point being that I owe you and would like to give you some input," L finished, momentarily lapsing out of his use of the third-person.

Light blinked. "I really get input on this?" L nodded. "Well, when we get the copy of the book, we can look it over."

"But first, I will have to show Raito-kun the surprise. Speaking of surprises, let's go see how the kitchen came out. Then I will show Raito-kun the bedroom."

"That sounds an awful lot like a pick-up line."

L grinned. "It does."

The kitchen came out spectacularly. The appliances were all stainless steel, and the kitchen was big enough to throw about five house parties in and still have room left over. Light actually heard L mention the idea of hiring a personal chef to cook for them. The chef wouldn't have been disappointed with the cooking quarters. However, the chef may have gotten sick of making sweets almost exclusively. Light talked him out of it, explaining that if L really wanted someone to cook, Light knew how to. Furthermore, Light could make most of L's favorite sweets. So no need for a chef.

They spent a good while putting away food. Light had his own section of cabinets, as did L. Light tucked away a few bags of potato chips, which were good to snack on while studying, and the rest of his food generally went into the fridge. L had had to cart all the sweets from Light's dorm to here, as well as his own food from wherever he had lived on campus. Light had never figured out exactly where that was.

After the kitchen, Light had asked to see one of the bathrooms. He hadn't been able to see one after it was completely furnished. L obliged, taking him to the larger one on the first floor. And by larger he meant larger. It had a huge tub that you could practically hold swimming practice in. On the other side of the room was a large walk-in shower. The room was done up in soft purple tones, an interesting choice. Still, it worked, and beautifully.

Finally, L could wait no longer and requested that Light come with him to see the bedroom. Light grinned. "Ok, I can see you're impatient. So, let's go."

They climbed the stairs to the second floor, which was very open. The third floor above them held more rooms, but, for the most part, this floor was open space. Light could see one door leading off into a room that he correctly assumed was the bedroom. L led him over to it, opened the door, and pulled him inside.

Light gasped. Like the rest of the house, it was big. But that was not what caught Light's attention. A huge window toward the back of the room allowed a a perfect view of the lake. You could see the sun glinting off the rippling surface. The geese skated serenely across the water. The entire room was done in rich blue tones. The bed was a large king-size, and was set up adjacent to the window. All in all, it was very impressive.

"It's very impressive, L. I especially like the window."

L smiled. "I'm very glad Raito-kun likes it. But first, I have another surprise. The book came earlier today. I was saving it to show Raito-kun when I showed him this room." Reaching over, he gently picked up the copy off the top shelf of one of the stands in the room. He flipped it open to the page right after the title page. "Please be aware, this is the sappiest I will ever get," L warned.

"What do you mean?" L simply handed Light the book. Light blinked down at the page. There, centered at the top, was a small collection of words that practically made his heart burst out of his chest.

_Dedicated to my Light._

It was such a simple thing. Still, it struck Light in a wonderful fashion. "I love you," he blurted suddenly. A shocked look briefly flashed across L's face before Light found himself pinned back against the wall, L's mouth suddenly ravishing his own.

Light was caught off-guard, but within seconds was fervently returning the kiss. L slowly maneuvered Light until his knees hit the edge of the bed and he toppled into it, L following him down. There, the kiss was broken as L trailed his lips down Light's neck.

"L," Light said breathlessly, "who says you get to have control?"

"I do, Raito." Light blushed at the lack of the honorific. "If Raito hadn't wanted this, he should not have said he loved me." L's free hand trailed slowly down Light's body, and he slipped his fingers under the band of Light's shirt, lightly teasing the abdominal muscles lying beneath. Light moaned as L's mouth found a particularly sensitive area on his neck.

Slowly, L pulled Light's shirt up and over his head, meeting no resistance from the younger male beneath him. He stared hungrily down at Light's near-perfect body. He was so beautiful.

"...L?" L shook his head, the trance broken by Light's voice. His fingers began to trace patterns on Light's chest, the small sighs he created music to his ears. He lowered his head and began to press gentle kisses to Light's skin, reveling in the moan he got when he took one of Light's nipples into his mouth.

"A-ah!" Light gasped as L sucked at the small bud until it hardened, then shifted his attention to the other. His face began to flush as his pants became steadily tighter. He watched as L pulled back, only to allow his tongue to dart out and swirl around the small nub, causing a moan to escape him. He allowed his legs to part, L settling comfortably between them. He groaned when their clothed groins were suddenly thrust into contact.

He could feel L smile against his chest, and gasped when he shamelessly forced their hips together again, creating a delicious friction. L slipped his hands under the waistband of Light's pants, and pulled them down slowly. Light obediently lifted his hips to allow the fabric to slide down his legs. L grinned when he saw Light's "L" boxers.

"I did tell you how much I liked those boxers, didn't I?" Light nodded, too distracted by arousal to really care. L then grabbed said boxers and pulled them down as well, leaving Light fully exposed. Light glared at him.

"I'm naked and you have all your clothes on. Loose them." L quickly stripped out of his shirt and pants, revealing the fact that he often went commando. Done with that, he returned to his position between Light's legs. He lowered his head and let his lips continue their journey down Light's body. Light let out a series of delicious noises as L's tongue trailed down his body, stopping to dip into his navel. He skipped over Light's weeping member in favor of his toned thighs.

"Ba-bastard," Light breathed out. L glanced up at him, grinning. L's fingers skimmed over the flesh as he teasing nipped at the skin. Finally, after having had enough of teasing, L brought his head up and blew gently on the tip of Light's erection.

"God, L." Light breathed. L's hands came up to pin Light's hips down. Light's body nearly exploded in pleasure when he felt something moist and hot settle over his throbbing cock. He let out a choked noise, trying to buck his hips only to be impeded by L's grip.

"A-ah! Yes! L!" He tried to stifle his cries of pleasure and failed. L began to hum an unknown song, the vibrations causing all manor of lustful noises to spill from Light's lips. Finally, he could take it no longer.

"L, I'm going to...going to-" L cut him off by abruptly removing his mouth from Light's erection.

"Not yet, Raito." He slipped his hand under the mattress and retrieved the lube, holding it up so Light could see. Light swallowed, but made no move to show that he didn't want what was about to happen. L popped the cap off the bottle and generously coated his fingers in the slippery substance. L brought Light's legs up to rest over his shoulders and slid his hand down, slowly slipping one finger inside Light's tight entrance. When Light made no gesture of discomfort, he slid in a second, gently thrusting them in and out.

Light stiffened a bit at the addition of the second finger, but quickly adjusted. L cautiously added a third finger, pushing them deep into Light, searching. Light made a small noise of pain that quickly morphed into one of ecstasy as L brushed something deep inside him. "Oh God, L!" He gasped, pushing down onto the intruding digits in an effort to get them to touch that spot again.

L smiled. "I found it. It appears my research was correct." He thrust his fingers into that same spot again and again, enjoying the noises the movements created, splaying his fingers to further prepare Light for the larger intrusion to come.

Finally, he slipped his fingers from Light's entrance and spread more lubricant onto his member. He looked down into Light's eyes and slowly began to slide inside. Light made a small strangled noise of discomfort, but L kept going until he was fully sheathed. There, he stopped all movement, waiting for Light to adjust.

"M-move," Light commanded after a few moments. L slowly pulled out and pushed back in, his hand stroking Light's cock in time with the movement. Slowly, Light's noises turned from pained to pleasure-filled. "L, actually move, dammit!" L didn't need to be told again. He pulled out and thrust back in hard, looking for the one spot that would make Light scream.

"Ahh, L! Right there!" Light shouted as L finally came in contact with his prostate. He pushed his hips back in time with L's thrusts, the movements becoming so frantic that he was rocking with the motion. Light was being driven over the edge, each thrust hitting his prostate as L's long fingers stroked his erection in time with his movements.

"Gck – L!" He screamed as he came. L felt Light's walls camp down on his member and groaned Light's name as his orgasm rushed up to meet him, the hot liquid of his release spilling into Light. He let himself fall down onto his writing inspiration, his heart beating erratically. Both males breathed heavily, trying to regain their breath.

Finally, L spoke. "In case Raito missed the meaning of the dedication, I love him too."

Light laughed."I got it. But you do know that know at the party there is no way I can introduce myself as Light. I'll have to call myself Raito Yagami."

"I think it was worth it." Light wholeheartedly agreed. He maneuvered himself so that he and L were curled around each other, and both males drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Well, longest chapter yet. First attempt at a lemon. I'd really appreciate it if you could tell me how I did, what I could change, etc, etc. Also, finals are coming down upon us over here soon, and I'm thinking that the next chapter of this story may be the last. But don't worry! I already have idea for a sequel, if anybody wants one. It should end up longer than this story too – it will sort of be like my summer project. Ok, question for today: Who has a Wii? I finally got mine online, and I'm really happy!


	12. Release

Guess what I bought yesterday? A...stuffed panda! And yes, it is veerrry cute. I also got talked into buying matching hats (ridiculous matching hats, may I add) by my friend Patrick. And I got sunburn. Lots of sunburn. Anyway, yes, this IS the last chapter, but don't worry! The first chapter of the sequel will be out within two weeks, maybe sooner. Plus, I might dabble in the DNAngel realm too, because I can't seem to get the series out of my head.

* * *

Light awoke slowly, finding himself twined with a very warm and still-sleeping author. Smiling, he burrowed his face into the unruly mop of black hair that he had come to love. He felt L shift slightly below him, and an arm wrapped around his waist. Sighing in contentment, he let himself drift around in that wonderful state between consciousness and sleep. It was so peaceful in that state – not quite awake, but aware enough to process dimly what was going on.

Finally, he let his eyes flutter open and embraced the waking world. He grinned when the first thing he saw was L, followed by L's panda. "L, when did you grab the panda?"

L yawned and sat up. "It was on the stand beside the bed. I must have grabbed it in my sleep." Light smiled. The idea of L snuggling with a panda was simply adorable. Sitting up, he winced as a sharp pain shot through his rump. He should have seen that coming. He was a bit miffed when he felt the stickiness on his abdomen. Another thing he should have expected. Stretching, he got up from the bed.

"I'm going to take a shower, L. I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast, ok?"

"Of course. I will be taking a shower as well, but first I'd like to get the dirty sheets off the bed." Light nodded, and headed downstairs (still naked) to the bathroom. It was good to not have to care about anyone catching you nude that you didn't want to catch you nude. Another one of the many pluses to moving in with L.

Good lord, he had just lost his virginity to L. That thought caused a smile to break out across his face. He was the only person in the world who could truthfully utter that sentence. Still smiling, he quickly extracted a towel from the closet in the bathroom and stepped right into the shower, happy that he no longer had to wait for the extreme hotness of the water to pass.

SSS

L was positive he had never been happier in his entire life. The person he loved loved him back and was living with him. He was about to release a book that would make him enough money that he wouldn't have to write again, if he so chose. Of course, he would. He could never stop writing. His laptop was on break until after the new book was released, however. So for right now he was just in the kitchen relaxing.

He looked up when Light walked into the room in pajamas, hair still wet from the shower. "What would you like for breakfast, L?"

"I think pancakes would be nice, if Raito-kun would like to make them with me." Light nodded. Together, they made the pancakes. Light had syrup on his, along with his usual coffee. L had chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and, well, sprinkles. Sprinkles on pancakes? Light shook his head, amused. L also had his usual sugar-enhanced tea.

L munched slowly on his breakfast, enjoying the occasional crunch of the sprinkles. This moment seemed far more intimate than all the other times he had eaten breakfast with Light at his dorm. It was quiet and relaxed. It was just good that Light had no classes today. Actually, this week would be his last before the semester was over. Which meant Light had finals. Of course, L didn't expect Light to do any studying. He didn't need to. L decided to give him a quick psychology quiz.

"Hippopotomonstrosesquippediliophobia."

"Fear of long words," Light parried easily. "Kind of ironic, isn't it?" Of course he would know that one.

"Hydrophobia."

"That's an easy one. Fear of water." L nodded.

"You are prepared for your psychology exam, I see."

"Of course. But L, don't we need to prepare for something else? You know, a certain reading that I have to give soon?"

L nodded, thoughtful. "I am in the process of choosing the section I want Raito-kun to read. I was thinking maybe the scene where the two characters first kissed – that scene has meaning. It helped me to realize how I was beginning to feel about Raito-kun. Plus, it would show the audience that the book does indeed contain some romance. I would like to hear Raito-kun's opinion of this selection."

"I think that that would be a great section to read. It would help draw people in. Did it really help you to realize what you were feeling?"

"The whole book did, Raito-kun. The character that portrays you was actually, at first, determined to be male, not female. I switched the gender when she first appeared." L unfurled himself from his chair and brought his plate over to lay in the sink. Light followed suit, careful to set the plate down gently.

"So, why did you switch the gender?"

"Because I am L and I wanted the character to be female. Usually, I do not interfere with the way the book seems to be going, but in this case, I made an exception."

"Well, ok, but you need to help me read it the way you think it should read."

"I trust Raito-kun's interpretation. He should do it his own way first." L was interested to see how Light read the book in his mind. Some people read it very differently than the author intended – and some could read it perfectly. Now that Light knew him, L wondered if he could read it correctly.

Light met his expectations soundly. When he began to read, he annunciated, pronounced, and glossed over in all the places L himself would have. Furthermore, he read each line exactly the way the characters would have – not really an in impressive feat with the female, as she was modeled after him, but it was surprising that Light could do the male character well, being as how he was modeled after L. Light knew him very well, it seemed.

When he finished, L was pleased. "That is perfect, Raito-kun. It seems you do not need any practice, which is just as well, being as how the release party is tomorrow."

Light's eyes narrowed. "Well, thanks for letting me know. And if I had needed practice?"

"Raito-kun is fast to catch on. It wouldn't have taken him any longer than a few hours at most to master it."

"I suppose that's true. However, what makes you think I have anything to wear?"

"Raito-kun always has something to wear. Plus, he usually wears clothes that are somewhat dressy anyhow. I was ninety-eight percent sure he had something to wear."

"Well, it's a good thing you were right." L smiled. He was never wrong.

SSS

Light sighed as he entered the campus gates. He had received a text message from Misa demanding he show up – how she had his number and why he was going, he didn't know. Well, at least if he showed up, she might not try to hunt down his current living arrangement, which was a good thing. Still, he would have much rather stayed back with L. This was bound to be yet another stressful encounter with Misa.

He resisted the urge to turn tail when she came into vision, but it was too late anyway. She had spotted him and was practically sprinting over. "Liiiight! Light! Did you hear what tomorrow was?" She halted beside him. "Well, did you?"

"If you are referring to the release of L's next book, then yes, I have."

"Not just the release, but also the release party! Misa knows how much you like L's books. Would you go to the party with Misa?"

"Misa, do you know how impossible it is to get into one of those parties? Had we been after invitations now, it would be much too late. Plus, I'm already going."

Misa's eyes narrowed at him. "With who? Who could have possibly beaten Misa to asking you?"

"Ryuuzaki. He actually has an invitation for both of us." More like he gives out the invitations. He always invited the same base people each year, to keep the press from guessing who L really was. If the same people showed up each time, it couldn't be whittled down to just one person who showed up at each one. After he invited his regulars, he sent out some invitations to other people. A couple of them invariably ended up on the internet to be sold – and they sold WELL. Light was pretty sure he'd never be able to afford the price of them, which was why he'd never gotten to go to one of the parties.

Misa looked upset. "I heard that you were seen kissing him on campus, but Misa didn't believe it. Misa was sure you would only date her."

"No, Misa, I'm dating Ryuuzaki. I have actually moved in with him, too, so I suggest that you don't go breaking into my old dorm anymore, or you might get in trouble with the new residents next semester."

"Wha...you moved in with him!?"

"Yes. Now, I actually have to go back to OUR house, so I'll see you around." With that, Light left, leaving a very befuddled Misa in his wake. Passing back through the campus gates, he was startled when he was suddenly glomped from behind.

"Gah! Chiyo, what the hell?"

She grinned. "Sorry, I'm just excited. My date last night went REALLY well. Since you're my new gay friend, I thought I'd tell you all about it."

Light sighed. "I'd tell you I'm not gay, but it would just fall on deaf ears. Come on, get into the limo and you can tell me about it on the way back to Ryuuzaki's." He opened to door for her.

"A limo? Cool." She slid in, followed by Light.

SSS

L was sipping tea from his cup, sitting quietly in the newly-appointed living room. In his head, he was mapping out the new interior for his mansion. He wanted to redo his library – make it grander, and add a section specifically for Light's books. He was sure that Light would keep more books than he already did, had his dorm had the room. Now, he was not limited, and L would rather like to see what he put in the library.

He could also do a room designed for writing, with no distractions, and all the things that inspired him. Of course, that would mean that Light would have to remain permanently in the room. He could also do a room just for relaxing. Really, he had infinite possibilities, especially with all his money and all his rooms. It would be fun to decorate with Light, L decided.

The sound of the door opening caught his attention. Light's voice floated to him, as did Chiyo's. "So yes, he's awesome. He is sooo sweet, and smart – well, not as smart as you two, I guess, but still smart, and he likes all the things I do. He's just...perfect. And you can't have him, Light!"

"For the last time, I don't WANT him!" L smiled. Chiyo was giving Light a hard time, as always. They came into the living room together, Chiyo still grinning.

"We're going again later today, and maybe tomorrow. Although I'm sure we won't be going anywhere as fancy as you two, what with the release party and all."

Light grinned. "Do you know Misa tried to invite me to the party today? As if we could even get invitations."

L looked amused. "Misa tried to invite Raito-kun to the party? She would have been surprised when he did the reading."

Chiyo looked at Light. "YOU get to do the reading? That's amazing!"

Light nodded. "Yes. And the fact that tomorrow is the release party was sprung on me today," he said, shooting a look at L, "so it's a good thing that I can read the book the right way."

Chiyo looked at Light. "Well, it'll be on the news tomorrow, so I'll watch it then. And, no doubt it will be all over the internet too, so, no problem there. Either way, I won't miss it."

L glanced at Chiyo. "So, your date went well?"

Her eyes turned dreamy. "Oh, yes. He is so awesome."

"Would he like to go to the release party?"

She immediately came back to Earth. "Yes! Why, are you offering?"

L nodded and pulled two invitations from behind his back. "Consider this a thank-you for being a good friend to Raito-kun, and for refraining from hitting on him."

Chiyo stared at the invitations for a few long seconds before reaching out and taking them. "Ryuuzaki, you are officially awesome. I'll ask him later tonight – there's no way he can say no to this!"

"Ryuuzaki, you're being uncharacteristically social tonight," Light remarked.

"Chiyo has been kind to me and to Raito-kun. I had two invitations left and thought she may like them."

"Well, I love them, Ryuuzaki. Now, I need to go get ready for my date. Oh, he'll be so excited about these invitations!" With that, Chiyo left Light and L alone. Light moved closer to L and gave him a sweet little kiss.

"What was that for, Raito-kun?"

"For being so nice to Chiyo. Now, come on, let's go to bed."

"But Raito-kun, it is only 6 o'clock."

"I know. I never said I wanted to sleep." L put up no further resistance.

SSS

Light was in a flurry of activity. His night before with L had been relaxed and pretty much pure bliss, which was NOT what this was. He was very close to losing his practiced cool. The party was going to begin in less than two hours, and he and L were due there an hour early – because that was when the line would begin to form outside the door. He had just gotten out of the shower, and now he was finding that he couldn't find the outfit he had planned to wear. God knows what L was doing wherever he was – Light just hoped it was productive.

Finally, he found the suit he was looking for. This occasion definitely required a black suit, which, of course, Light had. He quickly slipped into the attire, pausing only briefly to tie his tie. It was done in a fluid motion – he did it daily, so it was a far from un-practiced motion. He checked himself over in the mirror, and, after some adjusting to get his appearance to be perfect, he was ready.

L, of course, was nowhere to be found. "L, where are you? You CANNOT be late to your own party!" A muffled reply came from one of the rooms on the floor. Of which there where about 15. Light opened the first door – no L. He opened the second – still no L.

"L, I really don't want to play hide and seek. Where are you?" A quiet 'in here' came from halfway down the hall. At least that narrowed it down. Finally, after opening two more doors, he found L. Light had to resist the urge to laugh. The novelist was in quite a predicament.

He was in a black suit, the jacket still open to reveal his white button-up shirt. He was pulling on his black tie with one hand and had the cuff of one of his sleeve in his teeth as he tried to pull said sleeve down. He looked up to meet Light's gaze.

Light grinned. "Want some help, L?" He walked over and pulled L's hand away from the tie, easily tying it correctly and settling it into place. Next, he pulled L's jacket closed and fastened it. "There. You should really wear suits more often," he said, admiring the way L looked.

"Thank you, Raito-kun. It is most refreshing to have help with this. I usually do it alone, and I do not enjoy doing it. I much prefer my usual attire." Suddenly, a thought struck Light, and he looked down. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're wearing shoes."

"Yes. Even I would not go to this party without them, Raito-kun. Now, it is time to leave. We should be heading to the limo now." Light nodded, heart beating rapidly in anticipation.

The drive to the party seemed to drag on forever for Light. When they finally arrived, he gasped. He had seen this happen on television countless times, but seeing it in real life was so different. Limos were wound all the way around the block as guests arrived. The line of vehicles slowly moved until it was time for him and L to step out of the car. Together, they exited the limo and stood with the rest of the guests, some of whom did this every time a book came out, some of whom were doing this for the first time. An excited chatter buzzed in the air.

Everyone knew that somewhere among them was L, the man of the hour, and the tantalizing mystery that this whole party was set around. Of course, only Light knew that the person next to him was L. Everyone else was just looking around and speculating on who it could be.

Light nearly jumped at the loud sound of the doors to the hall that the party was being held in made when they were opened. Guests began to filter in, and Light was so excited to be among them. Press and paparazzi were there, too, snapping pictures like crazy. Light watched as news crews filmed the whole thing, and made a note of the only one that was let inside.

Finally, he and L reached the door. They handed over their invitations, which were checked over for the slightest sign of fraudulence. Beside them, another person was refused entrance when his invitation was found to be a fake. They received clearance, and passed through the doors.

Inside, the excited buzz was double what it had been outside. The place was lit a bit more dimly than Light had expected. Still, it allowed just enough light for the film crew to do its filming. L and Light found their table easily. As Light had expected, it was one of the best ones available. L would have saved a good one for himself. Light was surprised when L handed him a copy of the book with the pages for reading marked.

"Raito-kun was so excited he forgot his book. It is a good thing that I remembered it." Light smiled sheepishly. From across the room, he spotted Chiyo and her date sitting at another one of the better tables. They were talking to each other excitedly. Light trusted that she had not let L's identity slip to him. He watched with interest as the film crew panned their camera across the room, taking a shot of all the guests as they arrived and sat down.

After a few more minutes, the doors to the hall swung shut. All the guests had arrived, and it was time for the party to start. These releases were renowned for their food. And Light quickly discovered it was for good reason. You could choose from five different seven-course meals, all of which looked delicious. Finally, Light made his selection, and L turned down the food. No all-sweets course available. Instead, Light passed him all the sweets that came with his meal. No way he could eat it all, anyway. L gratefully ate Light's sweets, happy with their arrangement.

After meals were served, it was time for the real part of this release to begin. L's editor ascended to the podium at the front of the hall. The lights were dimmed and a spotlight was shown down onto him. The hall immediately grew silent as everyone's attention turned to him.

"We are here, of course, to celebrate the release of L's newest book. As you all know, L is somewhere in here with us, so give him a round of applause." A thunderous burst of clapping engulfed the hall. "So, I bet you have all heard the rumors about L's new book, as a few copies have already been signed and gone out. Well, maybe the reading will enlighten you on whether or not what you have heard is true. After the reading, you'll all get a copy to take home and further enjoy." Another round of applause. "And, for the first time ever, I'm turning over the mic to someone else for the reading." This got the crowd's attention. "Please welcome the new reader, who was asked by L himself to fill my place." The editor stepped down from the platform. Swallowing, Light stood.

At once, every eye in the place, as well as the cameras, were focused on him. He walked quickly up and took his place at the platform. "My name...is Raito Yagami." No doubt that by next morning, everyone would know that the English translation of his name was Light. "L asked me to do the reading tonight, and I happily accepted the offer." He quickly flipped open to the first marked page, which was...the dedication? Well, if L wanted it read, he'd read it. "Dedicated to my Light." Instantly, a murmur went up from the crowd. L had NEVER dedicated a book before. After the dedication, Light plunged onward, reading the section exactly as he had the night before, watching first the crowd's reaction as they realized that there were two characters, and again watching the reaction when the characters kissed.

His voice flowed along smoothly, just as L's had for him when he had read aloud to Light. The guests appeared mesmerized, and Light took a quick glance at Chiyo. She, too, it seemed, had fallen under the spell of the book. Finally, Light finished the section, and silently closed the book. "Thank you," he said into the microphone.

After a few seconds of silence, the loudest round of applause yet burst forth from the crowd. They were applauding both L's work and Light. Bowing his head, Light slipped from the podium back to his seat, where he received an inconspicuous kiss from L. The lights were brought down further, and music began to play. Now that the reading was over, it was time for the dancing. The tables were cleared away quickly, and a slow song came on over the speakers.

Smiling, L turned to Light. "Care to dance?" Light smiled and nodded. Together, they slipped into a quiet corner and began to dance. L led, and Light followed. Their bodies worked in synchronization, and the cameras took a sweeping shot of everyone dancing. Across the floor, Light could see Chiyo dancing with her date. She looked happy. But, Light was positive that no one could be as happy as he was right now, in L's arms, dancing with him at his release party.

SSS

L was smiling, truly smiling, when he and Light swept into their house. Yes, their house. It was late, as he had expected, but neither one of them was tired. He quickly flipped on the t.v, and, as expected, found film of his party playing. It was a shot of Light doing the reading. Across the bottom, a strip of words read: _Raito Yagami did the reading tonight at L's release party. The dedication in L's book read, "Dedicated to my Light." As it turns out, the English translation of Yagami's first name is "Light." Coincidence?_

L was sure that Light would now have to deal with interviews and questions about whether he was, in fact, the person that the book was dedicated to, but he doubted Light would mind. Plus, Light would be done with his semester soon, and would have time for those types of things.

L was hoping he would also have time for his latest proposition. L had had an interesting thought enter his mind a few days ago, and the thought had blossomed into something he felt was tangible and altogether possible. Now that the release party was over, it seemed that it would be a good time to bring it up. L had definite plans for Light Yagami.

* * *

So yes, it's over. I found it fitting that it started from L's point of view and ended there, too. I'm looking forward to writing these two again soon.


End file.
